The Unlikely Friendship

The boy used all the spells needed to get the best of the potion; spells no first year was taught. Potter had charmed the rods to be self-stirring; the fire was magically controlled, including the temperature; a timer was set for the potion and a shield had been cast around the area. These were spells which were not taught to first years. In fact, they were not taught until N.E.W.T. level.

Snape watched as Potter meticulously and carefully cut his ingredients into equal parts. Not once did he look at the instructions on the board or in the textbook. He was also the first to finish as he filled a sample in a phial, charmed it to be unbreakable, and came to submit it to Snape. The potions master locked eyes with the boy and pushed slightly. When he encountered shields, he backtracked quickly. He didn't know if Potter had detected him, but since he didn't react, Snape knew that he had narrowly escaped.

...

"He's a natural Occlumens, Albus," said Snape grudgingly as he sat down in front of the headmaster. "There is no better theory to explain his strange behaviour. He has also been tutored by people who are well versed in Potions. The spells he uses; the way he cuts the ingredients and the state of the potion itself; he has been trained well."

"That is… troubling," Dumbledore muttered, frowning slightly. "Did you try Legilimency?"

"Tried, but I encountered shields, so I was forced to withdraw immediately. I couldn't risk it without facing legal action. I barely managed to avoid detection, but he won't be able to prove it even if he had felt it."

Dumbledore grimaced. Harry was reminding him of the young Tom Riddle every day. Tom was also a natural at the Mind Arts since a young boy, just like he himself had been, though both he and Tom had favoured Legilimency, unlike Harry and Grindelwald who favoured Occlumency.

"Try to find out everything about him, Severus," said Dumbledore, stroking his beard. "He is quite an introvert, which is disturbing. I will keep an eye on him as well."

The headmaster exhaled tiredly. He was already forced to return the boy's Invisibility Cloak. James Potter had lent it to him, yes, but the man had demanded an Unbreakable Vow to give it back to Harry or Lily if something were to happen to him. That vow had compelled Dumbledore to return the cloak when Harry had asked for it. To think he was forced into surrendering one of the Deathly Hallows!

...

Two weeks passed without any incident. Ron Weasley tried to talk to Harry, but the latter didn't have the patience to deal with the fool. A compulsion charm ensured that the boy wouldn't bother him. Weasley's mind was surprisingly easy to control. Saturday morning, in the third week of September, Harry was sitting in front of the lake with a book in hand, under a tree. He was surprised when he saw a girl sit next to him.

"Hello, Greengrass. Can I help you with something?"

Daphne took a deep breath. It had taken her more than a week to come to terms with what had happened and she was finally here to meet him.

"I received a letter from my mother last week," she finally replied.

"So you know about the contract," Harry said softly. He flicked his wand in the air, casting a privacy charm around them both.

"Yes. While I'm not happy with it, I've come to understand that it's unbreakable, though my father says he will look into any loopholes."

"There aren't any unless you are willing to tempt magic and fate," muttered Harry as he closed his book. "I had my lawyers go through it thoroughly. I wasn't really pleased when I found out about the contract either, but I've had time to think things through. Look, Greengrass -"

"Daphne," she interrupted him. "Call me Daphne. We're betrothed, anyway."

Harry could hear the bitterness in her tone but decided to ignore it. "Okay then, Daphne, you may call me Harry. As I was saying, I'm not exactly your usual eleven-year-old wizard. I have seen you observing me for the past two weeks. That is something which you have come to realise as well. I know nothing about you and you know nothing about me. Frankly, I don't know where to start as I am at a loss."

He couldn't hide his frustration at that. Daphne looked at him and observed his face. There was no denying that he was very cute, but he was always cold. She wondered why that was. She too had been frustrated by the situation, but her mother had been able to advise her on how to proceed.

"Well, I have a solution," Daphne said slowly, catching his attention. "How about we start by being friends? We can get to know each other and hang out. What do you say?"

Harry thought for a minute as he tilted his head slightly. "Friends," he murmured. "I've never seen the point in having friends before. I was forbidden from having friends when I was younger. But perhaps you're right. Maybe being friends would help."

Daphne looked at him critically. What was he talking about? She came to understand that Harry Potter had a lot of secrets; secrets he wasn't willing to part with. Not that she cared. Her life wasn't really looking bright at the moment thanks to that bloody contract. She took a deep breath to hide her anger that was simmering. As much as she wanted to, she couldn't blame the Potter scion for the situation they were in; it wasn't his fault that he was the last member of his family. So, she held her tongue and spoke with what she hoped was a hostile-free tone.

"Friends it is, then."

....

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