Chapter 13

As Harry was down in the Chamber of Secrets, Daphne was trying to finish her week's assignments in the Slytherin Common Room. It had been one of the roughest weeks she had ever experienced in all her time at the ancient school. Every where she went, she had endured the whispers, and strange, almost pitying looks that her housemates sent her way. She had known from the beginning that there would be whispers and pointed looks, but she had been truly unprepared for what she was experiencing now. On top of that, every other student seemed to stop whatever they were doing as she passed.

It all started on Monday morning when she had been walking next to Harry on the way to Transfiguration and the hall had exploded in whistles, catcalls and vomiting sounds. Harry looked apologetic as they entered the class room.

The rest of the week she had avoided Harry, only to avoid the outbursts. But the whispers continued. Several times she'd walked into the girls loo only have girls looking coldly at her. Normally this didn't bother her at all, but for some reason she felt like she was constantly being examined. It was becoming increasingly annoying. She had overheard a few Ravenclaw girls in the Library whispering about how Daphne must have somehow slipped Harry a love potion, or by some other means enchanted him. Daphne had to stifle the urge to run around the shelves and start ripping their hair out. It would have gained nothing, save to fuel the rumors further.

Then, there were the talks her fellow housemates felt obligated to give her. Several seventh year girls had come by to "check on her" and then spent atrocious amounts of time insulting Gryffindors, and Harry in particular. Daphne wondered with each girl how much they truly despised Harry, and how much of their rants were based in jealousy.

But, the very worst part of the week had been that she had not spent any time alone with Harry. In fact, she'd avoided him altogether. She had backed out of their weekly meeting, lying about the amount of homework she had to take care of. She had seen the look of disappointment on his face when he had read the letter she had sent through Hermione, and when she thought about it, she always felt really bad.

Now, as she was proofreading her essay for Defense class, all she could think of was spending some time with the boy who she was destined to marry. Daphne felt guilty for brushing Harry off. She felt angry that she had not had the guts to walk with him and ignore everyone else. And, she was filled with a longing to be near Harry once again. To be able to talk with him, to stare into his dazzling green eyes, and even to be held by him.

"NO!" She said to herself, shaking her head clear. Her mind was doing that more often these days. She'd begin thinking about Harry, and almost inevitably be swallowed into a fantasy of snogging the messy haired, green-eyed boy. She found she was having more arguments with herself, and was beginning to wonder if crazy people knew the moment they had gone mad.

Tracey had, of course, been no help whatsoever, as she chided her best friend for her cowardice. Daphne and Tracey had not spoken to each other for a few days, as they had an argument of Daphne's course of action regarding her and Harry.

"I think you're being really childish. So what if people make remarks. Get used to it. He is the Boy-Who-Lived for, Merlin's sake. It's never going to get better." Tracey had scolded. This had led Daphne to make several disparaging remarks over Tracey's apparent lack of love life. Tracey countered with comments over Daphne's lack of experience with boys, and that being the reason for her hesitation with Harry, which Daphne then retaliated to, by commenting on Tracey's vast wealth of knowledge.

Daphne had known she'd gone too far the moment she said it. Tracey's eyes brimmed with hurtful tears, and the auburn haired girl had hid in the bathroom. Neither girl had spoken to the other for the next two days, and Daphne was feeling extremely lonely.

Daphne was contemplating how she might make amends with her best friend, and how quickly she could do it, when Draco Malfoy sat in one of the big plush chairs in the Common Room. He had been looking sicker and sicker these days. His grey eyes had a sunken look to them, and his normally well groomed hair was a total rat's nest. He appeared to perspire more, and he was more irritable than ever.

As always, both Crabbe and Goyle had followed their "leader" into the Common Room, but Daphne noticed that both boys put as much distance between themselves and Draco as they could. This behavior had been remarked upon several times over the past month, as there seemed to be an invisible wedge being driven between Draco and his two cohorts.

"So, Greengrass." He said in his customary drawl. "Did you ever find out what Potter slipped you? I mean, it's obvious to everyone that you were slipped some kind of love potion. There can be no other explanation for it. Why on earth would you lower yourself to going anywhere near Potter?"

Daphne set her quill down gently, and took a deep calming breath before she looked into Draco's hard eyes. Draco had been a thorn in most of the house's side for years. He was nothing but a bully, a lowlife scum who'd been born with a silver spoon in his arse. Yet, no one ever stood up to him, for fear that he might run screaming to his daddy, and there would be some sort of retribution.

It was widely discussed how Draco had bought his way on to the house Quidditch team, and that the team had suffered for it. The only games they won were because they had gained a very significant lead before the other team had managed to catch the Snitch.

That was only one example of Draco's bravado. There were many more examples of Draco's lack of skill, or even common sense.

"No, Draco." Daphne said calmly, and coldly. "You're quite mistaken. I was not given anything."

"Really?" Draco's eyebrows shot up. "Well, we might be able to finally get rid of old scar head, then. After all, the Imperious Curse is illegal. Perhaps you should speak with Professor Snape about it." Draco smiled malevolently.

"You seemed to be confused, Draco." Daphne shook her head. "I went of my own free will."

Draco threw his head back as he laughed. Daphne noticed more and more of her housemates were beginning to watch. Daphne felt her temper rising as Draco laughed. She had been desperately trying to shrink into the shadows so people would forget about her and Harry, and Draco was shining a spotlight right on her.

"I never knew you could be so hilarious." Draco said when he finally stopped laughing. "Seriously, why would you sink so low? You could have been with someone of standing. Someone with strength, and power. Like me, for instance."

"You?" Daphne looked at him oddly. "Why Draco, I never imagined you would ever be interested in me." She feigned awe, and then glared at the pompous little snit. "Draco, I would never be so desperate to allow myself to be touched by a man who got their thrills flailing on top of Pansy like a hippogriff in heat. You sicken me, Draco." Daphne sniffed airily.

Draco leaned forward in the chair, eyeing the blonde dangerously. His grey eyes burned with displeasure. "I'd be very careful what you say to me. You have no idea of what I'm capable of. With a snap of my fingers, I could …"

"What, Draco? What could you do?" Daphne questioned. "Your father's in prison. You have no more money, because the Wizengamont seized everything. And, let's be honest, you're prowess with a wand is slightly better than your lackeys. So, what could you possibly do?"

"I'm not one you should trifle with." Draco said menacingly.

Daphne stared at him for a moment, and then burst out laughing. "What are you? Some kind of fairy tale villain? Tell me, oh dastardly one, what is your latest scheme?"

Several other Slytherins laughed along with Daphne as Draco's face grew red with rage. He stood up and kicked the table over. Daphne shrieked as she tried to grab her essay, which landed in the fire, bursting into flame.

"You bloody prat!" She screamed.

"I'm warning you, Greengrass. You'd better learn to show respect to your betters."

Daphne stood now and got nose to nose with the Slytherin Prince.

"You don't even know what that word means. You think just because of who your father was that you deserve to have people worship you as you strut all over the castle. You're nothing more than a spoiled little child, Draco. You're not my better. You're pathetic."

Draco shoved Daphne back and pulled out his wand, aiming it at the girl sprawled on the floor. Daphne shot to her feet and slapped the wand out of Draco's hand and punched him in the eye.

There were yells, and cheers as Draco staggered back. Daphne had her wand leveled at Draco's face now. Draco looked surprised by Daphne's actions, but his look of shock soon faded, and his eyes grew cold. He straightened his shirt and backed up slowly, never daring to take his eyes off the girl. Daphne watched him bend down and collect his wand, keeping her gaze on the evil bastard, who was now smiling coolly at her.

"You're going to regret this, Greengrass. Very soon. I'd watch out, if I were you." Draco smiled as he gave a mock bow and disappeared into the boys dormitories.

Daphne finally lowered her wand, replacing it in her cloak. She turned to look at the fire where her Defense essay was nearly gone. She sighed, knowing that she'd have to spend nearly the whole of her Saturday in the Library to redo it. She felt her shoulders sag in resignation and she bent to begin picking up the rest of her things that had been tossed across the floor.

"Daphne! Look out!" someone cried.

Daphne stood up and turned around just as a spell hit her in the midsection. She never heard the spell, but she felt it hit her on her left side and send her flying head over heels to crash through a nearby chess table. As she looked up, Draco was already hovering over her, looking feral.

"You really think I would just give up like that?" He sneered. Daphne went for her wand, but Draco stomped on her hand as it flew into her robes. Draco's foot crushed her hand, and her chest. Daphne swore she felt a rib crack with the force of it. She was also convinced that her wand had snapped.

Draco bent down and opened her robes and took the wand from her and tossed it away. Daphne was a bit relieved to see her wand was intact. Draco then gave a long meaningful look about the Common Room, where no one seemed to be inclined to help Daphne. It was the first time she'd ever regretted not making more friends within her house.

"This is a warning to anyone else who thinks they can insult me and get away with it."

Daphne had never felt anything like what she felt the moment she looked into Draco's sinister looking eyes. He had attacked her from behind, and he had kicked her in the chest. He had acted exactly as she would have expected, and felt a little angry that she had let her guard down so quickly. But, more than that, she felt frightened of what he might do. She imagined if there was no one else around, Draco might try to take advantage of his present situation. Thankfully, nearly every eye in the Common Room was on the two of them.

And then, something caught her eye. As Draco stood over her, wand aimed right between her eyes with his right hand. Daphne began looking about for a way out of her situation, and that's when she noticed the sleeve on Draco's left arm was up a bit and, standing out quite well on his pallid flesh, was a dark shadow. A shadow that seemed to be moving, almost as if it were alive.

Could it be he's really been marked? She thought to herself. Daphne tried to think of a way she could expose his arm and see for sure, to prove if Harry was right, if Draco was simply trying to make himself important again. All of that was pushed from her mind when Draco bent down, his face mere inches from hers.

"I'm going to teach you a lesson you won't ever forget, you little bitch."

"STUPEFY!"

Draco was hit in the side of the head by the Stunning spell, and fell in a heap on top of Daphne, who screamed bloody murder for someone to get him off of her. Daphne was never so grateful to see Tracey Davis.

Tracey had been in her dorm, as she and Daphne were still not talking to one another. She had been unaware of the altercation between Draco and her best friend, until Millicent Bulstrode came huffing into their dorm shouting that Daphne needed help.

Tracey had gotten to her feet and raced into the Common Room, just in time to see Draco aiming his wand over Daphne, who looked as if she'd been thrown into the table which was now splintered and broken around the blonde girl on the floor.

Tracey had not hesitated and whipped out her wand and sent a Stunning spell at Draco, hoping her aim was good, and the spell was strong. Her aim at least proved to be somewhat accurate, as she had been aiming for Draco's backside.

The spell, however, wasn't as powerful as she had hoped. As she was helping Daphne out from under the prone body, Draco began to stir. Daphne retrieved her wand and cast her own spell at Draco's wand hand. The Bludgeoning spell shattered the boys wand hand. Draco shot up, screaming with pain.

Draco tried to get to his feet, but Daphne Stunned him again, smiling a little coldly as he fell in another heap.

"What is going on in here?" Professor Snape's demanded as he stepped into the Common Room. Daphne noticed two first year students looking frightened standing just off to the Head of House's side. Daphne guessed that they had gone to retrieve the Professor for help.

"Malfoy attacked Daphne, sir." Tracey said frankly, still watching to see if the little ferret moved.

"Was this an unprovoked attack, Miss Greengrass?" Snape questioned curtly. Daphne had never felt anything but respect for her Head of House, until this moment. She felt his eyes boring into hers, and she felt tainted, dirty.

"He attack me from behind, sir. Then he stomped on my chest and threw my wand. He said he was going to teach me a lesson." Daphne said, finding it a bit difficult to breath. She was almost sure she had a cracked rib, and her left breast was pulsing with pain.

"So, you thought breaking his hand was proper retaliation?"

"For attacking me from behind and stomping on my boob, no. I should have severed his bits."

"Enough. Miss Greengrass, you will report to my office tomorrow evening for detention." Snape said as he levitated Draco's prone body and began taking him to the Hospital Wing. He stopped when he noticed Daphne and Tracey following.

"Where do you think you're going?" Snape looked angry.

"To the Hospital Wing. I'm having trouble breathing, and I want to make sure he didn't break a rib or anything."

"Very well." Snape said, and they left the Common Room to whisper and gossip over what they had witnessed.

"Severus, what's happened?" Madam Pomfrey questioned as Snape lowered Draco's body onto the first bed he came to.

"A little spat in Slytherin. I believe his hand is broken. Also, Miss Greengrass thinks she has a problem with her ribs."

"Very well, over there." Pomfrey pointed to a nearby bed. Tracey sat down next to Daphne, who was looking quite pale now.

"That little ferret." Daphne spat as she sat gingerly, trying not to aggravate her ribs, which felt as if they were becoming more and more constricted with each breath.

"What'd you expect?" Tracey questioned. "Draco can't fight unless the odds are in his favor. What happened, anyway?"

"He started insulting Harry and telling me I should be with him. I told him exactly what I thought of that idea, and then he kicked over the table, and my essay landed in the fire. I punched him, and we pulled wands on each other. He left, and as I went to pick up my things, he attacked. How'd you get there in time, anyway?"

"Millie came and got me." Tracey said with a hint of worry.

"Remind me to get her the biggest slab of chocolate they have at Honeydukes the next time we visit Hogsmeade." Daphne smiled lightly.

"It's so unfair that you're getting detention. Draco probably won't get any punishment." Tracey sighed, looking over to where Pomfrey was attending to the boy. Draco was conscious again, and glaring hard at Daphne.

That was the moment it hit her. Daphne looked up to see Snape leaving quickly, which made Daphne feel that this was most likely the best time to act. She remembered seeing something on Draco's left arm, and Harry's theory about Draco pledging himself to Voldemort repeated in her mind.

"Tracey, it's still illegal to bear the mark, right? The Dark Mark?"

"I think so." Then, Tracey's eyes lit up as she understood what Daphne was thinking. "What if he's not marked, though?"

"Then nothing. I serve my detention, and have to watch my back a little more carefully."

"So, how do we get him to show it?" Tracey asked, but Daphne was already on her feet and striding with agonizing determination towards Draco and Pomfrey.

"Madam Pomfrey, you should really examine his left forearm." Daphne said

Madam Pomfrey looked up, a little confused. "Why should I do that?"

"Because, I think you'll find a very serious injury there." Daphne said, staring at Draco who looked ready to spit fire. "He's been grasping his arm a lot, and I'm worried about him."

"You're worried? Wasn't it you that broke his hand?"

"Yes, Madam Pomfrey, but friends sometimes fight. I'm really worried about him."

Madam Pomfrey was a very intelligent woman, it was not to be denied. Yet, she was extremely susceptible to manipulation, if it was done right.

"Well, let's have a look, then." The nurse said, reaching for Draco's left arm, which he immediately pulled out of reach. He looked up at Daphne, and she was convinced that had he the ability to burn her with his eyes, she would be nothing more than a smoldering pile of ash at his feet.

"Leave me alone, I'm fine." He spat.

"Come now, Mr. Malfoy, let's have a look." Madam Pomfrey insisted.

"Keep away from me, you hag!" He shouted now, trying to get out of the bed.

"Come on, Draco." Daphne urged. "Let her fix you all up."

"How did you find out?" He said as he tried to keep the school nurse at bay.

"Pansy doesn't know how to keep a secret." Tracey said as she came over to watch what happened, unaware that Daphne had glimpsed it earlier..

"Mr. Malfoy, if you don't sit down and let me examine your injury, I will have to put you out." Madam Pomfrey warned.

"Don't touch me. I'm fine. They're lying." Draco ranted, but Madam Pomfrey took out her wand and hit Draco with yet another Stunning spell.

"I do hate fussy patients." She remarked, as she levitated Draco back onto the bed. She bent over her patient and rolled up his sleeve.

"Oh, Merlin, save me." She gasped. She stood up and conjured tight ropes around Draco, tying him down. The school nurse bustled to her office, leaving Daphne and Tracey alone with the blonde Slytherin bully. Both girls came around to see what had made the school nurse tie Draco down.

Neither girl had ever seen the mark before, except at the Quidditch World cup, of course. But that seemed almost a joke, compared to seeing someone bearing the sinister tattoo on their arm. It was unmistakable. A wicked looking skull with a serpent sliding out of it's fanged mouth. The tattoo seemed very alive. It looked to be moving, like a leaf of a pond, riding the little waves in a breeze.

"Wow." Tracey whispered a hint of awe in her voice. "Harry really was right."

"And perhaps this isn't the only thing he was right about." Daphne nodded.

After a few moments, Madam Pomfrey returned, her wand still in her hand.

"You ladies step away from him, this instant."

Daphne went to a nearby bed and sat down heavily, wheezing hard as her ribs tightened.

"Madam Pomfrey, could you please look at Daphne? She's having a hard time breathing." Tracy asked of the nurse, who would not divert her attention at the bound man in the bed.

The infirmary doors opened and Professor McGonagall and Professor Sprout entered, looking astonished and determined. Professor Snape entered a second behind the other two.

"Are you sure about what you saw, Poppy?" McGonagall asked. Madam Pomfrey leaned over Draco's bed and showed the three professors the mark. McGonagall and Sprout both clapped hands to their mouths, while Snape looked as if he'd just had needles stuck in him. It suddenly occurred to her that he had known. It was why they argued before the holiday on the night of Slughorn's party. Snape knew that Draco was working for You-Know-Who, and wanted to help him.

Daphne wanted to say something, but Madam Pomfrey came to her then, and pushed her flat on the bed, and began her diagnosis. Daphne had been correct in her assumption. Madam Pomfrey told her that two ribs were cracked and there was quite a bit of bruising.

The school matron went of to fetch some potions, and Daphne saw Professor Snape rush out of the infirmary. Daphne wondered if the greasy haired man was planning an escape.

Harry raced all the way to Dumbledore's office. He had Slughorn's memory in his hand and he was finally going to get Dumbledore to stop with this farce and actually train him so he could defeat Voldemort.

He gave the password (Cockroach Clusters) and dashed up the spiral stairs to the Headmaster's office door. When Dumbledore allowed him to enter, Harry set the tiny vial on the desk and looked proudly at the Headmaster.

"Very well done, Harry." Dumbledore stood, taking the vial and holding it up to the light. "If I may ask, how were you able to do it?"

"I appealed to his nature, and his pocketbook. He's now the proud owner of a basilisk corpse."

"Oh my, very well played. Yes, Horace will be able to make quite a bit of gold selling anything he can harvest. I must say, I didn't expect something so cunning." Dumbledore said, peering over his half moon spectacles, his bright blue eyes twinkling madly.

"I had help from a very sly young woman."

"Indeed." Dumbledore began sidling around his desk, smiling knowingly at Harry. "Very well, as you have kept your word, so shall I keep mine. This will be the last memory you will have to examine. When we emerge, I will summarize everything for you, and together we will come up with a course of action. If you will…"

"Albus, we have a problem." Snape said as he barged into the Headmaster's office. "He's been discovered."

Dumbledore looked at the Defense teacher for several seconds, memory vial held over the Pensive, ready to be poured. Harry could only look between the two men and wonder who "he" was.

"I see." Dumbledore said finally, as he put the cork back in the little vial. "Where is he now?"

"The Infirmary. There was an altercation in my house." Snape said. This made Harry even more curious, and he thought of Daphne. Perhaps she had seen what had happened. Unfortunately, he had no way of contacting her why she was in her Common Room.

"Then, we must try our best to resolve this. Who else knows?" the headmaster queried.

"Pomfrey, Sprout and McGonagall. Two students as well."

"That makes things more difficult." Dumbledore said softly before turning to Harry. "It seems that we shall have to postpone our lesson for tonight, Harry. I am needed in the Infirmary."

Harry nodded and with a disappointed smile, left Snape and Dumbledore. Harry felt a bit cheated, as he had finally gotten the memory that Dumbledore had wanted so badly, only to be shoved aside when Snape had come in. He wondered what could have been more important to Dumbledore than that stupid memory he'd been harping on about for over a month.

Then, bits of what Snape had said began seeping into his mind. There had been an altercation in Slytherin House. "He" had been found out. Harry's mind began coming up with different reasons why Snape might be so agitated about someone being found out, and what that could entail. And then, all the tumblers fell into place. Draco Malfoy was surely the "he" that Snape had referred to.

Harry was running towards the Infirmary before he'd decided to.

"Then, he got very angry, and he wouldn't let me exam him. I had no choice but to stun him. That's when I saw it." Madam Pomfrey finished giving her report to Dumbledore, who looked almost serene.

"Thank you, Poppy. You did the right thing."

"A student, Albus. He could have done any number of things." McGonagall said, her voice trembling. "We must call the Aurors straight away."

"I do not believe that to be necessary, Minerva. Though he's been marked, we have no reason to believe Mister Malfoy has done anything harmful or illegal. We do not even know if he took the mark of his own free will."

"Have you gone round the twist?" Pomona Sprout was stunned. "Albus, no one takes the mark unwillingly. You know that."

"You can't mean to let him stay here?" McGonagall asked incredulously. "Just because he's never been caught in anything more dangerous than provoking other students doesn't mean he's not done anything. We all know what Mister Malfoy is capable of."

"Be that as it may, we have no proof of any wrong doing, and so we can not just assume the worst. Mister Malfoy is still only a boy, and we do not know if he took the mark willingly."

Daphne had been listening to this from her bed, and scoffed at the Headmaster's obvious manipulation. For some reason, known only to himself, Dumbledore was hell bent on keeping Malfoy within Hogwarts. It stood to reason that Dumbledore had at least some idea of what Malfoy had been up to, and given how fast Snape had run off to fetch the Headmaster, the head of Slytherin was in on it.

"Excuse me." Daphne said sitting up in her bed. "But, he did attack me tonight. He might have really hurt me if Tracey hadn't stepped in."

"How do you know that for sure, Miss Greengrass?" Dumbledore said in a very condescending tone. "Perhaps he only meant to frighten you."

"Is that what you call attacking someone from behind? I've got a footprint bruise on my boob from him stomping on it, and two cracked ribs. You didn't see the look in his eyes, sir. He meant to do more than frighten."

"Albus, you must follow the law. He's taken the mark, and he's taken it recently. It must be reported to the Aurors." Professor Sprout said sternly. "If you do not do it, than I shall."

"She won't be alone, either." McGonagall fixed the old man with a firm stare, and Dumbledore sigh wearily.

"If you only understood…"

"Understood what?" Harry Potter asked as he entered the Infirmary.

"What the hell are you doing here, Potter?" Snape's lip curled menacingly. "You've no business down here. Get away from Malfoy!"

Harry had snuck into the Infirmary while the teachers were bickering amongst themselves. He had spotted Malfoy, who was still unconscious and tied to his bed. Harry felt a surge of curiosity and sidle closer to inspect the boy who'd been a great thorn in Harry's side since the first day of school five years ago.

Draco's left arm was exposed, and Harry could see the Dark Mark quite clearly. Harry's heart gave a double beat and his stomach lurched. Though he'd suspected it for a long time, it was still a bit of a shock to be proven right.

"I came to check on Daphne." Harry said quickly. "You said that there had been an altercation, and I was worried it might have been Daphne. It looks like I was correct."

Daphne's countenance brightened when she heard Harry's voice and she felt a warmth spread throughout her when she saw him come around the bickering teachers. Harry approached his betrothed and sat down next to her. Daphne clasped his hand in hers, and smiled softly.

"You never answered my question, sir."

"Harry, I'm sorry, but this matter does not concern you." Dumbledore said, a bit dismissively. Harry felt irritation at being forestalled. He cast a hard look at the Headmaster and spoke in as even a tone as he could manage.

"Sir, with all due respect, the matter does concern me, as I tried to tell you back in September of my concerns over Malfoy. Time and time again we go through this. I tell you of my suspicions, and you wave them off as little more than nonsense. And every time, I'm proven right. Are we simply destined to repeat ourselves and learn nothing from our pasts? The proof is right in front of you." Harry pointed to where Malfoy lay.

Dumbledore's trademark eye twinkle vanished, as Harry used the words Dumbledore had said in their first lesson. Though Dumbledore was very proud of Harry for becoming stronger, becoming more independent, right now, it was a problem. Dumbledore wanted to keep Malfoy safe, by keeping him within the walls of the school. He had been aware that Malfoy had taken the mark, as Snape has informed him the very night it had happened. He had also been aware that Draco had been given a secret mission from the Dark Lord, and exactly what that mission entailed. Dumbledore had tried to have Snape monitor the boy's progress, but Malfoy had proven to be quite stealthy, and progress reports revealed very little.

But Dumbledore's plans had all gone up in flames tonight, as Malfoy had been revealed to several teachers. They would not rest until the safety of the rest of the students was secured by having Malfoy remanded into Auror custody for trial. On top of that, Harry Potter, the only hope for the wizarding world, had come into his own, which had been Dumbledore's goal, but it had happened much sooner than he'd imagined. There was still so much he had to impart on the young man, and now Dumbledore wondered if the boy would even listen. He had to make a decision now. If he tried to remain on his original course, Dumbledore would alienate all those he had entrusted with saving the wizarding world, and all hope would be lost in that moment. The Headmaster had little choice.

"No, Harry." Dumbledore sighed.

"You aren't seriously going to listen to the brat, are you?" Snape asked., anger clear on his sallow face. "If you do this, Albus, we could lose everything."

"I'm afraid we have little choice, Severus. Pomona, would you be so kind as to contact the Aurors."

Professor Sprout left the Infirmary just as Snape began screaming.

"Are you out of your mind? You know what this will mean?" Snape's black eyes were bulging and his sallow skin was burning red with his indignant rage.

"I do. It seems we must alter our earlier plans. Severus, would you be so kind as to join Harry and myself in my office in half an hour. The three of us have some very important things to discuss, and I'm afraid they can no longer wait." Dumbledore said gently.

Snape looked murderous at Harry, but nodded his consent, and with one final look of disgust at Harry, swept out of the hospital wing.

"Harry," Dumbledore looked suddenly very old. His body seemed to sag, and his eyes looked incredibly tired. "I ask that you come to my office in half an hour. See to your friend, and then join Professor Snape and myself."

Harry nodded and Dumbledore left, looking very tired and care worn suddenly.

"Well done." Daphne said softly as Harry sat next to her.

"I didn't do anything, really." Harry smiled gently back. "He was already backed into a corner."

"Maybe so, but you were able to push him just enough to make him make the right decision." Daphne said, staring at Malfoy's bound form. "You were right, you know. He was marked."

"Yeah, I saw it. But we still don't know what he was trying to do." Harry sighed. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah. Just bruised." Daphne sighed.

"I really wish you could have exposed him without getting hurt."

"So do I, but that's how it happened. Listen. I want to apologize for avoiding you all week. I thought I could handle all the rumors, but I wasn't expecting the looks and whispers and all that."

"I tried to warn you." Harry smiled.

"I know, and I guess I thought you were being paranoid. That's two things you were right about. You must have some sort of gift."

"It's more a curse than anything else." Harry grinned a little.

"Well, I promise never to doubt you again." Daphne smiled, placing her hand on his, grasping it gently. Harry intertwined his fingers with hers, and they both sighed softly.

"I haven't been able to stop thinking about you." Daphne admitted softly, refusing to meet his eyes. "I really wanted to see you, but I just couldn't. I guess I was just to afraid."

"Of all the rumors?"

"Partly. But I was also afraid of what might happen when I saw you." She looked up now, and found his soft green eyes watching her carefully. She was about to say something more when she found herself leaning into to him.

Her lips met his in a gentle, sweet, longing kiss. She could feel his arms slide around her and pull her closer to him. Her mind went blank, and her body took over, as she kissed him a bit more urgently, her hands running through his messy black hair.

Harry had not expected it. She looked up at him, her eyes smoldering, but not in the way he was used to. There was something soft in them. And then, she had leaned into him and pressed her lips to his.

Again, he found himself lost in the kiss. He wanted her as close to him as possible, and found himself pulling her tight to him, to which she responded with a gentle moan.

Slowly, the kissed became deeper more passionate. Neither teen wished to stop, luxuriating in fervid moments they wee now sharing. Unfortunately, they began to run out of much needed oxygen, and had to part their mouths.

"See, I was afraid that might happen." Daphne whispered. "I'm terribly afraid of all this."

"Good, so it isn't just me." Harry smiled softly.

"What do we do now?" Daphne looked into his smoky green eyes.

"Take things slow, I guess. This is really new for me, too."

"Will you come see me tomorrow?" Daphne asked, sliding away from Harry, who was readying himself for his meting with Snape and Dumbledore.

"Yes." He said firmly. He stood up, still clutching her hand in his, reluctant to leave her now. She could only smile at him as he stared down at her, his eyes burning with emotion. Finally, without another word, Harry left, clinging to her hand until he could no longer, allowing it fall from his as he moved away.

Daphne watched him leave the Infirmary, and once again, the moment he was out of her sight, she felt an unwelcome emptiness descend upon her.

She reflected the moment they had shared only minutes before. It had been better than the first time. Stronger, and more compelling. His arms had felt so strong and warm and safe around her. His lips tasted sweeter than the first time.

She touched her lips with her finger tips, relishing the memory. She still stared at the door he'd left only seconds ago, wishing he'd come running back into her arms and kiss her once again. To sweep her up in his arms and never let her go.

It was then that Daphne Greengrass realized that she might actually be trying to fool herself. That she did feel something more than mere friendship for him. That she desired him, craved him even. Daphne Greengrass admitted to herself that she might actually be falling for Harry Potter.