The Feathered Serpent: Chapter 9 (Patreon)

“You have no idea who you have messed with, boy! I am Elstan Greyback! The only brother of the great Fenrir, and I will make you pay,” Elstan snarled as he stared at the dark-haired cunt. “But I won’t make it easy for you. I’ll make you watch as I break those two whores and breed them. Only then will I grant you the mercy of death.”

Harry Potter stared at the deformed creature with a stoic face, as his emerald eyes glowed with fury and his magic swirled around him in waves. Beside him, Daphne stood with a similar look and aura.

“You’ll have to kill me for that,” Harry hissed through gritted teeth as the creature smirked.

“I’d rather make you watch first, cunt,” Elstan replied with a malicious grin as his injuries healed up.

Before the pair could react, the creature snarled, “Defodio!”

Harry quickly jumped out of the way of the gouging hex and lashed out, a series of spells careening from his wand toward his opponent who raised a shield and blocked all of them. Beside him, Daphne quickly ran to the side and fired a few bonebreakers and cutting curses in quick succession. The blonde clicked her tongue when the creature shielded against her as well.

“Oh my! Such dark spells from Hogwarts students! Merlin, you really aren’t here to play huh?”

“The best way to deal with a mad dog is to put it down as soon as possible,” Harry retorted as he fired another silent blood-boiling curse. The creature smirked and raised his shield, chuckling when the spell fizzed away with a malicious hiss.

“Silent casting as well. You two sure are interesting,” Elstan grinned before his eyes narrowed. “Shame your talents won’t save you from me.”

Harry’s eyes widened when a massive fist made of rocks shot out of the wall adjacent to Daphne.

“Daphne!” He cried out in shock as the blonde quickly raised a shield which disintegrated in an instant.

“Ahh!” She cried out in pain as the fist struck her right on the shoulder, sending her crashing against the wall.

“Stay there silently, bitch. I’ll be back for you soon,” the creature smirked, licking its lips as it stared at the slumped body of the blonde. Harry stared at her with wide eyes.

“Out of your depth, boy?” Elstan taunted with a smirk as Harry turned to look at him. “I’ve seen your kind. Cunts who think they are too powerful and always rush in to save damsels in distress. They always meet the same end, mewling as I crush them.”

Harry glared at the creature and raised his wand. Elstan grinned.

“Come on, boy, show me what you’ve got.”

Harry immediately jumped into action, sending a salvo of spells any of his professors would vehemently disapprove of using. However, he couldn’t care about their opinions right now.

“Good, very good,” Elstan grinned as he shielded against them. Harry couldn’t help but wonder just how powerful this creature’s defense was.

Elstan returned the favor with vehemence. However, instead of using any direct attacks, he flicked his wand and sent that enormous fist toward Harry, who quickly threw a powerful blasting curse. Elstan’s eyebrows disappeared into his hairline when the fist exploded in a shower of rocks and debris, assaulting both him and Harry before they shielded against them.

Harry flinched as his face and his entire front were showered with sharp rocks, and he quickly raised a shield. A few had already gotten through, piercing through his skin and drawing out blood. With a quick flick of his wand, he healed the cuts.

“You, boy, are indeed special,” Elstan conceded. However, his next attempt to kill Harry came only a second later. Harry’s eyes widened when Elstan shouted out, “Avada Kedavra!”

Quickly, Harry levitated a large chunk of rock from the destroyed fist and shielded himself against the killing curse. Elstan wasted no time and levitated the debris around Harry, intending to assault him with the sharp chunks of rocks. However, Harry was ready as he cast a widespread repelling charm and sent the rocks rapidly toward a surprised Elstan, who shielded once again.

So far, Harry didn’t think he had done anything to harm this monster who seemed to be toying with him. It felt as if the monster was practicing his spells. His eyes fell on Daphne who could barely move a muscle, and he winced at the sight of her twisted right arm. It was fractured, he was sure of that, and he knew she could not cast a spell either. Her eyes were fixed on him, full of belief and conviction.

Harry gritted his teeth and glared at the creature with utter loathing before he started to cast spells at a rapid pace. Bonebreakers, blood-boiling curses, entrails expelling curses, and blasting curses all collided with Elstan’s shield, and for the first time, the creature looked to be under pressure from the relentless assault.

Finally, his blasting curse collided with the shield and their eyes widened when the shield shattered under the impact. Harry let out a triumphant grunt and was about to send another blood-boiling curse when the creature suddenly pointed its wand at Daphne and shouted, “Avada Kedavra!”

Harry’s eyes opened wide in fear and without even thinking, he quickly summoned Daphne over to him. His heart broke when she released a loud cry of pain as her fractured arm suddenly moved and Harry could not help but release a sigh of relief when the killing curse collided with the wall where she had just been. He quickly caught her in his arms, pulling her flush against him and looking at her wound.

“Brackium Emendo,” Harry whispered as he pointed his wand against Daphne’s shattered shoulder and watched as a faint glow overtook her entire arm. He could not stay idle for more than a second as Elstan quickly pressed his advantage. The werewolf snarled and started to finally cast a multitude of dark curses. Harry quickly raised an Aegis shield his father had used in the previous war and watched as all the spells were absorbed by his golden shield.

“You okay, Daph?” He asked frantically, his wand pointed straight ahead toward Elstan as he kept the shield upright, wincing every so often as the creature’s powerful spells struck his shield mercilessly.

Daphne nodded with a wince as she felt the bones mending and she tried to feel her fingers, sighing when she could move them once again.

“Don’t rush it. Let the spell work properly,” he interjected when he saw her trying to get up.

“I’m good Harry, I can take it from here. Sorry, I was so useless that I got hit before even doing anything,” she whispered, softly caressing his cheek as she smiled. Harry shook his head with a soft smile and dropped a faint kiss on her forehead before he stood up, facing Elstan who sent another massive fist of rocks. He couldn’t hold the shield upright and staggered back as the fist shattered it.

Catching his footing immediately, Harry glared as he thrust his wand forward angrily. Elstan’s eyes bugged out when the fist of rocks was transfigured into petals of various flowers, raining down on Harry and Daphne. He glowered at the pair as the blonde girl stood up and glared at him.

“No more surprise tricks now, asshole,” Daphne snarled and thrust her wand toward the creature. A massive bolt of lightning shot forward at a blistering pace, tearing through the corridor and sending massive chunks of the rocky floor all around as Elstan raised his powerful shield once again.

“Not anymore!” Harry shouted and waved his wand. Elstan’s eyes widened when he saw a massive firestorm erupt from the bastard’s wand who sent it forward, careening toward him. He had no other choice, and he surrounded himself with his shield, keeping himself at bay from both the lightning bolt and the firestorm that seemed to engulf him from all sides.

Sweat brimmed on their foreheads as Harry and Daphne channeled as much power into their respective spells as they could. This monster’s defense was commendable. However, together, they knew they could take it down.

“If only we could conjure or transfigure anything into silver,” Harry grunted. Daphne clicked her tongue in aggravation. Even though they were very advanced, they could not manipulate any precious metals.

They kept channeling as much power into their spells as they could and for as long as possible. However, they could not keep it up for much longer.

Slowly, the bolt of lightning dissipated with a static as Daphne’s wand lowered. Harry’s firestorm also fizzled away, having burnt the entire floor and parts of the destroyed walls. Surrounded by blackened floor and charred walls on either side of him stood Elstan with his powerful shield flickering softly until it shattered into a million fragments. The werewolf dropped to his knees, utterly spent.

“What are these people teaching kids now?” Elstan muttered as he stared at the pair with half-lidded eyes and what looked like an intoxicated smile on his face. Daphne glared at the creature and stepped forward until she was roughly ten feet away from it.

“Let’s see how you like it now,” she whispered menacingly and flicked her wand, levitating a massive chunk of rock between the werewolf and her. Elstan’s eyes widened when she transfigured the large rock into a massive stone fist, not dissimilar to his own, and hit him square in the chest with enough force to break most of his ribs. He was sent sprawling over the floor and he let out a painful grunt.

“Looks fancy, and powerful too,” Daphne intoned calmly. “But in the end, it’s nothing more than a simple transfiguration. Thank you for the idea.”

Elstan coughed blood and looked up with a grin, taking in the sight of a battered and bruised Daphne. Her Hogwarts shirt was torn in places, and her right sleeve was entirely bloodied.

“You’re worthy of being much more than my whore, blondie. My brother would eagerly make you his bitch,” he snickered, coughing more blood as Daphne glared.

“Your brother will meet the same fate very soon,” Daphne whispered dangerously as she pointed her wand at the creature. Harry joined her, pointing his wand at it, and nodded when she looked at him.

“Sectumsempra,” they whispered as Harry held her hand firmly, glaring at the creature. The curse Daphne had learned from one of Harry’s journals cleaved the werewolf’s head off its body, sending it rolling on the floor as the beheaded carcass slumped over.

The pair stared at the carcass of the werewolf for a few seconds, breathing harshly before bile rose in Daphne’s throat and she slumped over, unloading everything on the floor. Her eyes filled with tears, and she couldn’t even try to stop them. Harry was quick to take her in his arms, and the girl clutched onto him like a lifeline.

“Shh… it’s okay, it’s all good,” Harry kept whispering soft reassurances in her ear as he tried with all his might to keep his own tears at bay. Her hand clutched his and he kept rubbing her back softly with the other.

The entire corridor had been torn apart, with debris and massive chunks of rock scattered all around. The walls were splattered with blood and so was the floor. Filch’s mangled corpse lay to the side. Right opposite the door to the library, the unconscious body of Hermione Granger lay, the bones in her arms shattered and her clothes still battered and torn in places. Slightly deeper into the destroyed corridor, Harry and Daphne sat huddled close, leaning against the wall and clutching each other as they shared some much-needed silent support. The beheaded carcass of the werewolf remained a mere five feet in front of them, oozing blood all over the corridor. Its head stayed forgotten, having rolled away in the distance, the unseeing eyes staring at nothing.

This was the horrifying sight that greeted Albus Dumbledore, Minerva McGonagall, Filius Flitwick, and Severus Snape when they hurried up the stairs and stood, ashen-faced, taking in everything. McGonagall gasped, her hand coming up and covering her mouth as she saw Mr. Filch’s desecrated corpse. The sight of blood and gore made her shiver. Meanwhile, the other three wizards looked at the destruction in sight before their eyes fell on two students huddled close against the wall in the distance. Their faces were obscured as Daphne had buried hers in Harry’s neck while Harry had his in Daphne’s blonde hair which had stains of blood at various spots.

“Minerva, please see to Mr. Filch’s body and take care of Miss Granger here,” Dumbledore said softly as he looked sadly at the dead body of the aged caretaker. McGonagall nodded shakily and called for a few house elves, who quickly came over and blanched as they looked at the horrifying sight. At her instruction, however, they obeyed and vanished with Filch’s corpse and Hermione’s unconscious form. McGonagall turned around and walked down the stairs to head over to the infirmary.

Silently, Dumbledore walked forward with Snape and Flitwick in tow, looking around and taking in the destruction wrought upon the entire corridor. His eyes didn’t miss the torn-apart walls or the missing chunks all over the floor. Remnants of spellfire were visible all across the corridor, scorching the walls, and the visible marks of burns on the walls and the floor made him wonder what kind of battle had taken place within only a few minutes that it had taken for them to arrive here.

“Headmaster,” Severus’ grave voice made him nod as he stared at the decapitated body of what was unmistakably a werewolf, and he grimaced as he took in the sight of his two charges who stayed huddled as close to each other as possible, clutching each other firmly. This was not a sight young students should have to see, let alone be a part of.

“It’s Elstan Greyback,” he heard Severus state, and Dumbledore looked at the face his Potions master was levitating in front of them. Indeed it was.

“Please contact Madam Bones, Filius. Severus and I shall take it from here.”

Flitwick nodded and with a final glance at the students who were unmistakably two of his ravens, he turned around and walked away.

Dumbledore looked at the two students and softly cleared his throat to gain their attention. They were truly detached from whatever was going on around them if they still hadn’t even noticed the presence of others yet. He saw them freeze for a moment before they slowly pulled back, and his eyes widened when he saw who they were.

The emerald eyes of Harry Potter and the sapphire eyes of his closest companion Daphne Greengrass stared at Albus Dumbledore and Severus Snape. However, what made their breaths hitch was the familiar look they saw in those eyes.

The look of someone who had killed.

XXXXX

“… before we cast the cutting curse and beheaded him,” Harry stated emotionlessly as he stared at the table. He was still holding Daphne’s hand in his, and both didn’t want to let go after what they had been through.

Albus Dumbledore stared at the pair in profound sadness. It was his failure that they had suffered such an ordeal. Off to the side sat the other heads of house in their respective chairs with Madam Bones and Kingsley Shacklebolt, one of Dumbledore’s staunch allies in the previous war, looking on with deep frowns, or an emotionless expression in Snape’s case.

Harry and Daphne had just finished explaining what had transpired since Dumbledore had instructed the students to go back to their respective common rooms and to think that such a gruesome and heinous event had come to pass right under his nose made the aged wizard feel even more guilty.

Every adult present in the room looked at the pair with sadness apparent in their eyes apart from Snape, who looked as apathetic as he usually did. However, accompanying the sadness or apathy were the appraising looks.

To think that two students in their first year at Hogwarts had managed to defeat one of the foulest criminals on the British Auror Force’s radar was nothing short of commendable. They could see that the pair had sustained injuries, particularly the female who had been the victim of a surprise attack that she had failed to completely mitigate in time. The right sleeve of her Hogwarts shirt was entirely bloodied.

“How did those creatures get inside Hogwarts, Albus?” Amelia Bones asked finally in a firm tone. It was a question that had been troubling every individual in attendance. The wards around Hogwarts were made to prevent any malicious creature from entering the Hogwarts grounds, and for them to get inside the castle itself was a matter of grave concern.

Dumbledore sighed. “There are certain hidden passageways scattered all around Hogwarts, many of which are not even known to me as the headmaster. It seems the creatures managed to find their way in using one of these passageways.”

Eyes widened around the Headmaster’s office as everyone stared at Dumbledore. Harry and Daphne exchanged a look with each other.

“And how did the creatures even know about this? I don’t think this is public information,” the head of the DMLE asked pointedly.

Dumbledore nodded. “Indeed it is not.”

“How come you don’t know about all the secret passageways?”

Dumbledore sighed. “Contrary to popular opinion, I do not know every secret Hogwarts possesses. No one does. There have been various searches conducted in the past to discover the secrets of this castle. However, most of those searches have proven redundant.”

Amelia sighed. “You have your suspicions, I presume?”

“Naturally,” Dumbledore intoned. “Alas, I cannot inform you of them. I hope you understand.”

Amelia Bones frowned. “I hope you are not hiding critical information.”

“Certainly not. However, mere suspicions amount to nothing. I will readily aid you in case you want to look for more evidence.”

Amelia sighed. “No, I don’t think there is anything else remaining. As a measure of precaution however, I would be assigning a few aurors to patrol Hogwarts.”

Dumbledore frowned but did not object. The woman nodded and turned to look at Harry and Daphne.

“Mr. Potter, Miss Greengrass, you have the gratitude of the auror department for taking care of Elstan Greyback. As you know by now, he had been wanted across Europe along with his brother Fenrir for numerous crimes. The bounty shall be allocated to your Gringotts’ vaults shortly,” she informed.

“In addition to that, the two of you shall also be bestowed with the Special Awards for Services to the School for saving the life of a Hogwarts student and taking care of a massive threat to the school,” Dumbledore added.

“We would prefer it if our name was kept away from this ordeal,” Harry said firmly, earning a nod from Daphne. “I get too much attention as it is. I don’t want to add to it.”

Off to the side, Snape raised an eyebrow as Dumbledore sighed.

“You do not want to be involved with this at all?”

Harry and Daphne shook their heads. Amelia frowned.

“I am afraid it is not possible. The official Auror Report will include every facet of this ordeal and the statements you two have given, so keeping everything in dark is something I cannot do.”

“Then I ask you to please do the bare minimum. Keep the reports the way you need to, but don’t publicize the fact that we were in any way involved. As far as anyone knows, we were in our rooms in the Ravenclaw Tower,” Harry replied immediately.

“We have no need for those galleons either,” Daphne added firmly. “We didn’t do it for any reward. It was to save our lives and Hermione. Nothing else.”

Amelia nodded. “As much as I appreciate that sentiment, there is a procedure. The ministry cannot go back on its word.”

“Donate those galleons to some charity if you wish. You have our consent. We don’t want to be associated with whatever happened tonight.” Daphne replied without missing a beat. Amelia looked at her keenly before she nodded.

“That can be arranged.”

“Good. Now, if there is nothing else, we would like to retire for the night, headmaster,” Harry looked at Dumbledore, who nodded gently. He stood up and took Daphne’s hand as they walked out of the office. Everyone inside watched them until the door shut.

“I can’t even begin to imagine what they must be going through,” McGonagall whispered, saddened that two of her most prized students had to commit such a heinous act.

“It is our failure that they had to go through something like this,” Flitwick remarked somberly. “It was our responsibility, and we failed.”

Dumbledore frowned before he looked over at Snape. The dour-faced man gave him an imperceptible nod. He sighed and looked back at Amelia Bones who got up and turned toward him.

“I shall be taking my leave now. Kingsley will be arriving tomorrow with a squad.”

The aged wizard nodded and they watched as she walked inside the fireplace and vanished in a swirl of emerald flames. Dumbledore looked toward Kingsley who gave him a respectful nod and went over to the floo.

One by one, the other professors also dispersed until only Snape remained.

“I warned you, headmaster,” the Potions’ professor said gravely. Dumbledore nodded.

“You certainly did, Severus. Did he venture there?”

“He tried to get past the Cerberus but failed.”

Dumbledore nodded. “I did not expect this, Severus. Arranging a werewolf, and Elstan Greyback at that, to create a distraction was not something I had anticipated. Not to mention a mountain troll and an acromantula.”

“I am telling you, headmaster. We should take care of Quirrell as soon as we can. The more you allow him to work for him, the more risk the students are at.”

Dumbledore sat contemplatively for a long moment, and Snape sighed.

“I agree that knowing the foe is better than someone who we are unaware of. However, is it worth putting the students in jeopardy?” Snape continued. “You saw what happened today, to Filch, what the Granger girl almost suffered, and what those two had to do.”

Dumbledore sighed as he looked at Snape with a small smile. “Don’t tell me the boy has started growing on you, Severus.”

“I am not one to go back on my vows, Albus,” Snape grunted. “I took a vow to protect the boy, and I will see to it. This has nothing to do with what opinion I have of the boy, only my vow.”

“If you say so, Severus,” Dumbledore smiled before his voice took on a grave tone. “And indeed, I believe you are right. However, I cannot afford to have a foe I am unaware of. As much of a risk this is, keeping Quirinus with us is the safest choice.”

Snape sighed and stood up.

“By your leave then,” he muttered and Dumbledore nodded. The old wizard sat alone as the door shut firmly and he closed his eyes.

He knew Severus was right. However, he also knew that Tom would not rest easy until he had what he wanted. It was better to keep Quirinus in sight than to have a threat he had no idea of. Today was a fluke, and he would exercise due caution to ensure something like this never happened.

“Better the devil you know than the devil you don’t,” Dumbledore whispered to himself.

XXXXX

The door to the Ravenclaw Common Room slowly swung open, and an anxious Tracey Davis abruptly looked up. She frowned when she saw no one.

“What?” She muttered to herself before her eyes widened when she felt someone grab her arm.

“It’s me,” Daphne’s voice whispered. “Come over to my room.”

Tracey nodded slowly and felt the hand pull away. Breathing deeply, she turned around and walked upstairs.

The door to Daphne’s room was slightly ajar when she arrived, and she quickly pulled it open before shutting it behind her. Turning around, she opened her mouth before abruptly shutting it.

Her eyes widened at the sight that greeted her.

“Oh Merlin what happened?” She whispered, staring wide-eyed at their bloodstained clothes before her eyes fell on Daphne’s bloodied sleeve.

“Werewolf attack,” Daphne replied bluntly as she tore off the right sleeve and looked at the injury. Tracey’s breath hitched.

“W-werewolf!?”

Harry sighed and nodded tiredly from his place on Daphne’s bed.

“We got to the library and saw Filch’s dead body. The werewolf got to him first. It had pinned Hermione to the ground and was going to rape her. We barely managed in time.”

Tracey’s legs gave away and she dropped to the floor, staring at them shakingly. Daphne looked at her with a frown.

“It injured me, and Harry fought it until he managed to heal me somewhat. Together, we managed to kill it,” she finished in as few words as she could.

“Y-you k-killed a w-werewolf!?” Tracey asked in an incredulous whisper. “A freaking werewolf!?”

They nodded. “Hermione’s in the infirmary. Her wrists were broken and she had passed out in shock. I still stunned her for good measure. I hope she is discharged soon.”

Tracey stared at Daphne and managed a slow nod. She had still not been able to fully comprehend these revelations.

“We’d like you to ensure our name stays as far away from this incident as possible, and Hermione’s as well,” Harry told her seriously. “If anyone’s curious, Hermione had a little illness and had to stay the night in the infirmary. Daphne and I were in our respective rooms after the headmaster told us to get back. Nothing else.”

Tracey blinked.

“Y-yeah. Gotcha,” she muttered, nodding slowly. Harry nodded.

“Have a good night, Tracey.”

The girl stood up and nodded as she stared at them. “Y-yeah, you two as well.”

Harry and Daphne watched as the girl turned around and walked out of Daphne’s room, shutting the door behind her. The moment the door closed, their shoulders slumped and Harry looked at Daphne with a frown.

The blonde looked at him and slowly walked over, taking a seat beside him. Harry wrapped his arms around her as she curled up against him, burying her head in his chest. All he could do was stay there, sitting against the headrest of Daphne’s bed as he rubbed soothing circles on her back.

“We killed someone,” he whispered after a few minutes of silence. He felt Daphne nod a few seconds later.

“We killed someone,” she repeated.

“Why don’t I feel bad then?” he asked softly, and Daphne pulled back to look up at him.

“Because that monster deserved it,” she replied, cupping his cheek. Harry turned his face and softly kissed her palm. Daphne’s eyes closed.

“That justifies it?” He asked.

“No,” she shook her head. “Nothing will justify it. We had that creature at our mercy, it was no longer a threat to us, but we chose to kill it.”

Harry shakingly nodded, knowing her words were as true as they could possibly be. They had indeed chosen to kill it, knowing they did not need to.

“I don’t regret it,” he whispered. “I feel disgusted that I had to do it, but I don’t feel sorry.”

“Then don’t,” Daphne replied immediately, and Harry pulled back to look at her. Daphne’s eyes bored into his, and even if he wanted to, Harry couldn’t have looked away.

“That monster has committed so many evil acts that your skin will crawl if you hear about them. He and his brother are responsible for destroying so many lives, so many families, all in their quest to quench their depravity. The name of Greyback is notorious across Europe, and for good reasons. We did the world a service by getting rid of him, and the world would be a better place when his brother dies as well.”

“He deserved to die,” he said in a monotone.

“He did,” Daphne affirmed and curled up against him once again. Harry looked down at her.

The creature’s vile words were still fresh in his mind. He still remembered how it had been staring at Daphne, as if she were a piece of meat he was longing to devour. How it had trapped Hermione underneath itself, her clothes torn apart and the girl helpless in front of a monster like it.

“That monster deserved it,” he whispered, and those words coursed through his very being. His eyes hardened.

Daphne pulled back slightly and glanced up at him.

“That monster deserved it,” she nodded.

They stayed cuddled up together for over half an hour when Daphne went over to her bathroom to clean herself of all the blood, grime, sweat, and tears. Harry too went back to his room and cleaned himself up.

He had sustained no injuries in that fight, and the only scratches he had received from the debris had been healed during the fight itself. He had just finished fixing his bed and was wishing for Daphne to join him as she had done a few months ago when he had probably been at his weakest when he heard a soft knock on his door.

Frowning, Harry walked over and pulled it open, eyes widening slightly when he saw Daphne on the other side clad in her nightdress. It was quite similar to the one she had worn all those nights ago. However, instead of a powder blue, this one was lilac.

It seemed she had the same idea.

Wordlessly, he stepped aside and Daphne walked in. Harry looked around, ensuring no one had seen her before he shut the door and locked it.

Daphne had already made herself home underneath the duvet when Harry walked over and with a small smile, he slid in beside her. This was the first time Daphne was joining him since that night.

She scooted closer once he had made himself comfortable, and Harry’s eyes fell on her right arm.

The blonde shivered when he softly caressed the unblemished skin, still remembering the sight of that mangled arm, bloodied and twisted.

“You have no idea how I felt when I saw that fist strike you,” he whispered, stroking her bare shoulder softly. There was indeed no mark. “It’s been fixed properly, right?”

Daphne smiled up at him and softly caressed his cheek with the same hand. “You did a very good job, and under so much pressure too. Your healing magic has really improved.”

Harry smiled at her before a frown took over his face. Daphne noticed immediately and her smile died down.

“What is it, Harry?” She asked in concern. Harry looked at her and sighed.

“That fight showed us that we still have a very long way to go. You should have never gotten injured, and we should’ve defeated him much sooner.”

“We were against one of Voldemort’s most staunch followers, Harry,” Daphne replied softly. “And this was the first time we were up against someone who was actively trying to kill us.”

“Still, we have to improve much more. The moment I had that creature on the backfoot, it targeted you. That kind of opportunistic battle mentality is something we don’t have.”

Daphne nodded with a sigh. “I get what you mean. But don’t forget we’re still very early into our magical knowledge. How many first-years do you think would’ve been able to last even ten seconds against that monster?”

“Our benchmark is not the level of other first years, Daphne,” Harry responded firmly. “We are two of the best Hogwarts has ever seen, and we cannot lower ourselves to their level.”

Daphne nodded with a sigh, conceding the point. He was right indeed.

“We will improve, Harry. I agree. However, it’s not fair you beat yourself over what happened today either. We came on top in the end, didn’t we?”

Harry nodded with a small smile. “That we did.”

Daphne smiled when he pulled her closer and she rested her head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat that quickly started doing a very good job of lulling her to sleep. Her eyes closed in contentment and exhausted as she was, it didn’t take long for her to drift away.

Harry looked down at her calm visage and could not help but smile. He had been terrified when that fist had struck her, and even more when that creature cast the killing curse.

In only a few months, Daphne had become such an integral component of his life, and how couldn’t she? They spent the entire day together, either studying, talking, practicing their magic, or relaxing in each other’s company. He could not imagine what it would be like if she was no longer in his life. Even the thought of it terrified him.

He leaned down and dropped a faint kiss on top of her head as he pulled her closer. He could feel all of her since she was pressed firmly against him. However, those lecherous thoughts were far away from his mind. All he could think about right now was how much he cherished her, and how he wanted her to be with him forever.

He had realized quite some time ago that he had fallen for her. However, today was the closest he had come to possibly lose her forever, and the feeling filled him with dread.

There was no way he would ever let someone separate them. He would be damned if it ever happened. He would get stronger with Daphne so that no one could ever threaten them. They had survived today, and they would grow stronger to survive whatever challenges they might face, together.

XXXXX

To be continued…