The Basilisk and The Wolf

Chapter 33: The Basilisk and The Wolf

Daphne and Tracey shared a worried glance. Something was off about Harry.

He was hiding something.

Currently, their group was assembled in the room of requirement before the breakfast, as they always did. What wasn't usual was Fleur joining in. But no one spared her a second glance. Everyone knew that she was going to become an integral part of their group.

'Or maybe she is already a part of this group.' Daphne thought, looking at the silver haired girl who smiled at her when she caught Daphne's gaze. Daphne smiled back, not having any negative feelings for the French girl.

"I will be cheering for you both. I am totally confident that one of you will be the winner. That's why I have already informed the house elves to prepare a party for us in the evening." Harry smiled proudly.

Tracey and Daphne shot him a grateful smile.

"Yeah, yeah. Now stop blabbering. Tell us what's wrong. You are acting strange. What happened?" Astoria interrupted calmly. That silenced everyone. All of them were surprised by the bold claim. Not that they didn't know that something was wrong. Everyone there was very close to him so it was no surprise that they all noticed the change in him. But the astonishment was for Astoria's straightforward approach.

"Excuse me?" Harry asked, confused. Astoria rolled her eyes at him and pointed her fingers at Tracey and Daphne who were sitting beside him.

"I will leave it to you two." She said, nodding her head in their direction. Daphne couldn't help but smile at her sister. She shook her head in mild amusement. It was a good sign that Astoria was able to understand Harry even though she had less time to spend with him than others. Even Fleur was able to spend more time with Harry than Astoria. Reason: Unlike Harry, Astoria's and others' classes were still going on. And since Astoria was a reserve player for the upcoming Quidditch competition, she had to juggle both studies and sports in her time, giving her less free time. Iris was the same case but at least she had the nights with her brother. This year Daphne had to accept that they all were quite busy, leaving Harry to spend more time with Fleur.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked, turning his head to either side to look at Daphne and Tracey.

"What are you worried about, brother?" Iris asked instead, who was sitting with Astoria on a sofa, facing them.

Harry opened his mouth to lie but then stopped, knowing that they would know if he was lying. Harry sighed, dragging his fingers through his hair. Harry was very happy, very happy that his girls were so observant and so close to him that they always knew about his moods. But sometimes it was really eerie and frightening, as if they could see through him, read his mind, look at his soul. It was an equal part disconcerting and equal part happy feeling.

"My plans have changed considerably throughout this year due to various reasons but the goals still remain the same. Immortality and power for all of us." he said somberly. The other girls were shocked that Harry was discussing their secret plans in front of Fleur. But their shock was replaced by bigger shock when they saw Fleur's unchanged expression.

"Fleur knows?" Tracey asked.

"Fleur knows. She will be the fifth immortal." he answered succinctly. Fleur smiled nervously at them while they just nodded reluctantly. Again, they didn't have any bad feelings for the new girl so they didn't appear to be mutinous or disappointed.

"I also did something unsavoury for my goals that might not sit right with you." he added after a second, staring at each of them.

Fleur looked at him warily. Not understanding why he was suddenly confessing. She thought they were going to hide it from them, not wanting to upset them. This didn't go unnoticed by Daphne whose eyebrows rose as she realised that Fleur already knew what Harry did.

"What did you do?" Tracey asked, her voice trembling from tension and apprehension. Daphne's face was full of curiosity and she was now sitting in such a way that she could see his face. Iris and Astoria too were looking at him grimly, expecting some bad news.

"You don't need to know that," he said quickly and defensively. And Daphne's curiosity suddenly turned into cold fury. Why can Fleur know that but not them?

"Is this what is worrying you, Harry?" Daphne questioned in a deceptively soft tone, her hand coming up to cup his cheek and forcing him to face her. Harry nodded slowly. His emerald eyes staring at her dark eyes.

"And you won't tell us. Hmm, do you want me to resort to extreme methods or are you going to tell us, tell me what you did that makes you so worried?" she said gently, her black eyes cold as the coldest winters. Harry frowned and gave her a perplexed look.

"What?" he uttered. She smiled and gave him a deep searing kiss on his lips. Harry was taken aback by the sudden affection but gladly kissed her back. But just as he started to enjoy the kiss, Daphne put her hands on his chest and pushed him away. Harry was dumbfounded by such a strange action and couldn't understand what had just happened.

"What?" he repeated dumbly.

His eyes, though widened in surprise at the sight in front of him. Daphne had apparently used the momentary distraction perfectly.

Now she stood behind the chair in which Fleur was sitting. Her arm was wrapped around Fleur's neck loosely and her other hand held her wand which was then pointed to Fleur's head.

Fleur was frozen in fright at the cold oppressive aura emanating from the girl who was holding her hostage.

"Daph?" Harry spoke her name dubiously, standing up and giving her a strange look, not comprehending what was going on.

"I think, dear Fleur knows what is worrying you while I don't. Call it the common jealousy which is making me act this way or something else. Now, will you tell me the problem? Or do you want me to…" She smirked, sliding her wand along Fleur's neck mockingly, her face full of amusement. But Fleur knew that Daphne Greengrass was seriously pissed off. The heavy air of anger around them was proof of that.

"Harry?" Fleur croaked, her face paling rapidly, pleading for help which increased her frustration. She hated feeling this weak. Daphne was so quick that she didn't even realise when she herself had become a hostage.

"Harry can't help you, Fleur. His all options are locked with the current positions. If he wants to save you, then there are only two options for him. He can either tell us the truth or he can use his Deus on me. And I am hundred percent confident that he won't raise his wand or his Deus against me." she smiled at him. Harry sighed witnessing the scene. Daphne had unintentionally created a scene which was his biggest fear.

Unlike Harry, who loved jumping in this type of situation with a mad glint in his eyes, Daphne was different. She wasn't crazy. She wasn't a psychopath. She was just a very intelligent and calculative girl. She already knew the outcome of this confrontation.

Harry was stiff as a board as he faced a conundrum. He had to save Fleur. Because she was his friend. But he couldn't in any situation, no matter what, hurt Daphne. He can't hurt Daphne or stand against her. Because she was his best friend. He was at an impasse having no ways forward. And he wouldn't ever use his Deus on friends again. Last night was a one time thing only.

"But you won't hurt her, Daph. She is your friend." Harry mumbled weakly.

In the background, Tracey had stopped Iris and Astoria from interfering. She wanted to see how this would end. She was at least sure that there would be no fighting, otherwise she would have stepped in herself.

"Hmm, not really. Fleur is not exactly a friend. She is somewhere between an acquaintance and a friend. So, she is still a free game. But I concede that it will be wasteful to kill such a beautiful and talented girl. She has so much potential. She can become a new member of our small family but she isn't family yet. I am willing to kill her. But are you ready to lose your friend who will become an immortal soon? Such a tragic fate, don't you think? A girl who was going to become immortal and live forever, died at just seventeen at the hands of a girl who could have become her sister and a good friend. Choose Harry, choose quickly. There is only one choice to make here and you know it."

Harry took a deep breath and slumped on his seat.

"Okay. Release Fleur and I will tell you everything." Harry said. Daphne smiled brightly and retracted her wand and patted Fleur friendly on her back.

"Thank you Fleur for your cooperation." she grinned and sat back beside Harry who gave her a part fond and part exasperated look. Fleur sighed in relief and gave her a bewildered look.

"Wait…was that just an act? I wasn't in any danger?" Fleur asked.

"Of course, Fleur. I will never hurt you. You are our friend after all. It was just a play, an act." Daphne lied smoothly with a soft smile. Fleur relaxed and smiled back.

'Liar!' Everyone else thought immediately but they didn't call her out on it, not wanting to scare the French girl anymore.

After that, Harry told them about what he did last night. He told them why he killed Jasmine's parents. He also revealed that he had destroyed Voldemort's horcruxes and obtained the last artefact of Death. He didn't stop there. He revealed everything about his plan. By the end of it, the girls were looking at him in awe. The death of Jasmine's parents was way back in their mind since the new information was so interesting and amazing.

"I guess, I understand your position. But the deaths of Jasmine's parents weren't your fault. It was either them or you. And you did the right thing in the end. You were being proactive, nothing else. And now I know what had you most worried. The thing which has you most terrified. The use of your Deus. But you yourself had decided that using Deus on Hermione, a friend, will be a one off thing only. Then why are you worried now? It is done. Forget it. You have promised yourself that you won't use Deus on your friends again. That is enough. We are not scared of you, Harry. You need to understand that. Just like you have so much power over us, we do the same over you. If anyone else threatened Fleur like I just did now, you would have killed them instantly. But you can't do that to me or the other girls here. Can you? Of course not. We are your family. That's what I am saying. Now just forget about it." Daphne explained passionately, her arm in his as she squeezed it comfortingly. Harry smiled tiredly and nodded.

"Okay. I understand."

"Good then. Now regarding your grand plan. If you pull it out, we will become the most powerful and revered beings in the wizarding world. That would be the coolest thing ever." Daphne said, giving him a look full of respect and love.

"I will. But you both should just concentrate on your upcoming duels. Don't let yourself get distracted. It is all my plan and my work, you don't have to be worried about it."

"Okay." They both agreed.

~~~

Tracey easily swatted away Jasmine's powerful reductor curse and then stepped to her right, avoiding a stunner.

Skillswise, Tracey was way ahead than Jasmine but their magical powers were roughly equal, making them draw out the match longer than necessary. Only if Tracey was allowed to use Charms then this match would have been over in a few minutes. BUT, she wasn't and she was doing brilliant even though she was just using the Transfiguration branch of magic. Which was her 'weakest' subject. At least it was before the tournament. But now, she was sure she was good at it. She must be after spending so many hours practising it.

She rained large spherical rocks on Jasmine but she just hid under her powerful shield charm and endured it resiliently. Tracey stifled a groan and morphed her rocks into various snakes which then slithered towards the blue-haired girl.

Jasmine dropped the shield and yelled incendio, pointing her wand ahead of her. A large plume of hot yellow flames left her wand and nullified the slithering imitations. Tracey though saw an opportunity and capitalised on it quickly. She turned the air around her into icy water and sent it to the flame wall. An explosion boomed as the fiery fire met the cool water. Both the contenders hissed in discomfort as hot steam surrounded and wrapped around them. But Tracey was ready for it.

She waved her wand furiously, blasting away the steam towards Jasmine. A bright blue shield saved Jasmine from the gale of hot steamy wind. But the distraction worked and Tracey surreptitiously worked her trap.

When the steam vanished, Jasmine stopped the shield charm and got ready to fire back. But her eyes widened in horror as a ten feet tall wave raced towards her. She instinctively stepped back, her wand ready to cast another shield charm. And that was the end of her.

Just as she stepped back, she felt her balance disrupting. She somehow managed to remain standing. Her legs were currently held by rocky hands which had sprouted from the ground behind her. She cursed under her breath. She was trapped. She couldn't move. And she definitely didn't have any time to cuss.

"Protego!" she cried, hoping to survive the wave first and then think about the problem of her immobility. But the force of the wave and her immobility lost her the match. She tumbled and fell on her back. Fortunately, her wand was still in her hand. She was thoroughly drenched, bone tired, fighting an opponent who was in a whole another league. But she still hadn't given up. Jasmine's nostrils flared as she tried to move. Though her fighting spirit won't help her now, since her defeat was set with Tracey's next spell.

"Glacius!" Tracey yelled. In a few seconds Jasmine was encased in cold ice. Frozen in a tomb of ice. Her crystal blue eyes wide in surprise.

"And the winner is Tracey Davis from Slytherin."

Tracey dropped on her knees. The fight wasn't as easy as she had hoped. The giant wave had taken so much energy out of her. Still, a smile blossomed on her face at progressing into the finals. One last match remained before she could become the winner of this Single Duels. One last opponent remained before she could proclaim her final victory. And it wouldn't be easy. Daphne Greengrass was never easy.

~~~

"Finally! For a second I really thought that Jasmine was going to give Tracey a hard fight." Astoria cheered after the announcement of the winner.

"Tracey would have quickly won if she was allowed to use Charms. Still, that was an entertaining match." Harry allowed a smile to grace his face.

"Now the match I have been waiting for will finally happen. Tracey versus Daphne. I am going to witness some fine duelling." Harry's grin was full of excitement.

~~~

Daphne smiled as she stood in front of her best friend. Today she will not be going easy on her. Today she will not hold back...okay, she was definitely going to hold back but not that much.

She wanted the reward for winning. She needed the reward. She will have Harry after the victory. When she will win it, the night will be hers and Harry's. They will finally join their bodies in the night. For the first time. Their first time. Her body filled with warmth and anticipation at thinking about their tangled bodies, their hips humping in rhythm, their bodies connected to the deepest level.

Tracey, who was standing in front of her, preparing herself for the start of the duel, gave her an amused look and rolled her eyes, aware of the scenes playing in Daphne's mind. Daphne blushed and shot her a glare. Tracey snorted, eliciting a frown from Professor Flitwick who was unaware of their silent conversation. He gave them the usual warnings and told them to go to their position. Both the girls started walking back, without turning and still facing each other.

'Pervert.' Tracey mouthed, staring at her. Her lips pulled into a mirthful smile. Daphne's left eye twitched in annoyance but she just harrumphed and didn't reply, still walking backwards. At last, when they stood on opposite sides, Professor Flitwick started the countdown. 3, 2, 1.

"Begin!" He yelled.

Tracey raised a five feet wall from the platform, intercepting Daphne's half a dozen stunners. She quickly banished the wall at her. Not wanting to give Daphne a single free second.

Daphne simply blasted the wall into pieces and returned them towards her with a flick of her wand. Tracey raised another wall from the ground and hid behind it as the pieces of the previous wall collided with the new one. She transfigured the pieces into arrows and shot them at her opponent.

A huge wall of fire rose to defend Daphne from the transfigured arrows. Daphne stabbed her wand in the air and the dangerous fire raced towards Tracey.

Tracey bit her lip in worry and blew a gale of cold wind at the fire. Her hand trembled as a tornado released from her wand and snuffed out the flames.

This was just a warm up though. The real match began soon enough as they both increased their speed and power. Daphne was clearly more powerful and talented but Tracey was doing her all to stay in the match and not lose. And she was succeeding in it.

~~~

Dumbledore couldn't help but grin at the talented witches. Who were both so skilled and powerful. Everyone in the stands were sitting on their seat's edge, drinking in the amazing display of skills and power. He knew, he knew in his heart that these two girls will be a power to be reckoned with in the future.

But Dumbledore guessed the truth. Miss Greengrass just using charms and Miss Davis just depending on Transfiguration didn't go unnoticed by him. They weren't showing their full skills and powers, he thought. They were either just using their strongest subject or they were using their weakest subject. If it was the latter then he didn't know whether to be awed or scared of these fourth year girls. They were so young. So young. And yet they stood undefeated, scoring victories against students far older and experienced than them. And his gut told him that this was just a small drop in the ocean of their talent.

The audience were totally enthralled by their performance. They couldn't move their gaze away from the talented girls who were jumping and flipping out of spell paths, who were hurling powerful spells at each other.

"They are so powerful. I didn't know that they were this powerful." Hermione mumbled in amazement from beside Jasmine who too was awed by their fellow Slytherin classmates. She realised then, that she never stood a chance in this competition. Only Daphne or Tracey were going to win this. And her bet was on Daphne who still looked totally fresh despite the ten minutes of intense duel while Tracey on the other hand was sweating and breathing loudly.

~~~

"Expecto Patronum!" Daphne calmly said, pointing her wand at the tired figure of her friend. A bright white basilisk emerged from her wand and lunged at Tracey who herself pointed her wand at the approaching giant snake.

"Expecto Patronum!" A white wolf the size of a bus appeared in front of Tracey and jumped at the falling snake, its maw closing around the body of the basilisk. They both kept their wand in front of them, powering their spells. Despite the fighting of the ethereal white smokey animals, the stadium was filled with a happy and joyous atmosphere, thanks to the patronus spells. People cheered and shouted their approval for the players.

Tracey felt her fatigue lessening and gave a small grateful smile to Daphne who just looked at her innocently. Though it was of no use since Tracey knew the real reason for Daphne's Patronus spell. It was for the entertainment of the spectators and to give a small reprieve to her. The beautiful patronuses disappeared after a minute but the jovial atmosphere still remained as the duel resumed.

And then Tracey realised that she just broke their personal rule. She wasn't supposed to use Charms and yet here she just did that. Daphne though still hadn't caught on to that. Now, even if Tracey somehow won, Daphne will always have an excuse to justify her defeat. She groaned inwardly and sent rocky spikes towards Daphne. Who effortlessly dodged them and started raining stunners towards her.

In the end, fatigue was the true enemy of Tracey as she wasn't able to dodge one of those stunners and went down.

~~~

Harry smiled at the winners announcement. He was so damn proud of his girls. And knowing that this wasn't even the true extent of their power, made it more amazing.

"I never knew Patronuses could do that." Fleur thought out loud.

"It was just a show. Daphne's Basilisk patronus wouldn't have been able to hurt Tracey. Daphne just wanted to show off. And Tracey, I assume in momentary panic, casted her own patronus charm. I think that's what finally made the audience cheer like banshees. You don't see fourth year girls throwing Patronuses normally." Harry responded, his gaze stuck on the two girls who were bowing to the stand, to the loud audience.

Daphne won the Single Duels. But both Tracey and Daphne received a thunderous applause from the audience for their amazing fight. Daphne hugged Tracey who tiredly smiled at her as her own arms wrapped around her best friend. She wasn't too sad about her loss. Even before the tournament started, she knew it was going to be nigh impossible to defeat Daphne. So, the results weren't that much of a surprise. Still, she was proud to have fought and reached here. And hearing the loud cheers from the audience was one of the best things ever.

"You did brilliantly." Daphne whispered in her ear. Tracey smiled softly and squeezed her waist happily. Usually, she would have been reluctant to take a compliment but right now, she felt she did great. That she deserved the praise.

The next fifteen minutes saw Daphne receiving a medal for winning the competition. Her name would also be added in the trophy room of Hogwarts. After so much fanfare and proud looks sent to them from the Professors, Daphne and Tracey along with everyone were sent back to the castle. And then there was the feast in celebration of the winner.

~~~

Jasmine was laughing and trying to annoy Hermione with the aid of Ron. Today has been a fantastic day. She had participated and loved fighting her opponents. All her mission and tension was in the backseat as she fought and fought, concentrating on the opponents in front of her and crushing them under her power. Due to that, she even earned the nickname 'Jasmine the berserk' from the fellow Gryffindors. She wasn't sure if she liked it.

She had taken a break from her miserable mission and had enjoyed the day to its fullest. She loved this cheerful atmosphere. Even though Daphne was a Slytherin, all the Hogwarts students were ecstatic that their school won the competition, even the Gryffindors who held a strong dislike for the house of the snakes, which had lessened considerably in the last year, celebrated the blonde girl's victory.

Jasmine was all smiles and laughter until a letter arrived for her. She absent-mindedly opened the letter. She was a little confused why Mr Granger, Hermione's father, was sending her a letter. When she read the content of it, her heart stopped for a couple of seconds.

"What's wrong, Jasmine?" Hermione asked, her voice tinged with concern, seeing Jasmine's expressionless face.

"My parents are dead." she mumbled in daze, handing her the letter. Hermione gasped in horror as she read the letter.

Jasmine,

I am so sorry to be the bearer of grave news. But I have to inform you that your parents were killed last night. We don't know who did it but the police revealed that they were killed by a group who also left a note. The note said that the group were in pursuit of some experiment 786. Please inform this to your headmaster who will know what to do next. I am really sorry, Jasmine. Please be safe.