The Power He Knows Not Chapter 7. (Patreon)

Content Warnings: Nothing.

“He’s… singing,” Harry whispered, frowning slightly at the sound of the off-key tune wafting out into the still air of the night from the open window of the hut. “Why is Hagrid singing?”

“Professor Hagrid sounds really happy about something,” Daphne said wryly. She ran a hand through her messy blonde hair, quickly taming her curls and securing them into a high ponytail with the hairband around her wrist.

“That’s never good news,” Harry groaned, vacillating between knocking on the door or simply calling it a night. The combination of an excited Hagrid and the Forbidden Forest did not bode well for them. “The last time he was this happy, he’d just decided to raise a baby dragon.”

“A baby dragon?” The hint of giddy excitement in Daphne’s voice was slightly concerning.

Susan shook her head, bounded up the steps of the hut, and hammered on the door. “We can talk about Norbert when we’re back in the safety and warmth of the castle. Remember what Auntie said, Harry? It’s not safe for you to be out in the grounds at night.”

“Professor Hagrid named the dragon Norbert?” Daphne asked, the smile on her face widening.

“Norberta. Turns out, Norbert was a girl,” Harry answered, grinning when the door was pulled open, revealing the large figure of the very first friend he had made in the Wizarding World.

“Harry! Yer late! I thought you weren’t coming,” Hagrid said gruffly, pulling him into a hug. Harry coughed, trying not to choke.

“H-hagrid, what’s that smell?” Susan asked, pinching her nose with her fingers. She ran to the small window of the hut, the fingers of her free hand scrambling to undo the latch and let in some fresh air.

“Perfume! I got some from Hogsmeade. Ya like it?”

“I-” Susan and Harry exchanged looks, but before either of them could speak up, Daphne stepped in to rescue them.

“It’s a very memorable scent, professor,” she said diplomatically, slipping around the still-hugging Hagrid and Harry. She knelt in the middle of the hut, smiling as Fang bounded up to her and nuzzled his face in her lap. “And how are you? Who’s a good boy?” she whispered, petting the excited dog. She bent and kissed his head, completely ignoring all the slobber dripping down to her skirt. “You look very dapper.”

“Ya think?” Hagrid finally let Harry go, and he dropped to his feet with a quiet grunt. Harry took a second to study Hagrid. He was wearing what could only be described as a bearskin coat, his wild hair was tamed with copious amounts of gel, and he had curled his beard and parted it into small braids.

Harry exchanged another look with Susan, who shot him an amused smile and a small shrug.

“Hermione’s not coming?” Hagrid asked, whistling happily as he walked up to the kettle on the stove. He turned up the heat, letting the water boil while he arranged three cups and dropped tea bags in them.

“She has an overdue Arithmancy essay. And you told me to bring my invisibility cloak, and if we need to wear it, there’s no way four of us fit under it. Not anymore.”

There was a time when he, Hermione, and Ron could all easily fit underneath the cloak. Ron would probably call him mental for what he was about to do, especially given who he was about to do it with.

He shook his head, trying his best not to pre-emptively ruin the night by focusing on his best friend. Thinking about Ron would only bring up memories of his dickish actions since the blasted Goblet spat out his name, and there was no quicker way to spoil his mood.

“And there was no way we were about to let Harry go alone,” Susan said, plopping down on the couch beside Harry.

“Either of us,” Daphne added, quickly moving to sit on the other side of him. Fang whined, but accepted the change, ambling over to rest his head on Daphne’s knee.

“Ah,” Hagrid beamed. “Must be difficult, what with all three of ya. But I tell ya, Harry, nothing better than a lil love and a lady in yer life to keep yerself happy,” he said, before resuming his whistling as he made them tea.

“What’s going on?” Harry whispered, looking at Susan in confusion.

“I think Hagrid’s in love,” Susan replied with a quiet giggle.

“I-” Harry started, blushing furiously when he realized Hagrid was standing in front of him, holding out a cup of steaming tea. He quickly changed tracks. “I’m not dating Hermione, remember Hagrid? We’re just pretending to date so that vile reporter leaves us alone,” Harry said, accepting the cup from Hagrid.

“Right. Right. So yer just dating-”

“Susan,” Harry confirmed, before turning to Daphne with a reassuring smile. “And Daphne.”

A hint of pink appeared in her alabaster cheeks, and she ducked her head, focusing her attention on a sleepy Fang.

Daphne Greengrass had been nothing like what he had expected. He had anticipated veiled hostility and barely disguised contempt combined with an insincere attempt to be a part of his life. Not too dissimilar to what Draco had done during their first few meetings. She instead appeared equal parts anxious and excited, and he got a distinct feeling that she was trying very hard not to feel left out of his close-knit social circle.

If a simple reassurance that she was a part of their life for now, especially given how hard she was trying to fit in was what she needed to relax, he saw no harm in giving that to her.

Besides, we are technically dating, he reminded himself. He and Susan had, after all, agreed to go on a date with her.

“Who do you think he’s in love with?” Harry asked, watching as Hagrid walked to stand in front of the large mirror and began to spray himself with even more perfume while singing quietly.

“No clue,” Susan whispered, trying her best not to grin.

“I have a guess,” Daphne murmured. Hagrid had jumped in place at the sound of a door slamming shut. He quickly buttoned up his coat, then ran his fingers through his bushy beard nervously. “Right. Ye three follow me. Wear the cloak Harry and don’t make a sound,” he warned, striding out of the hut to meet the tall figure that had exited the Beauxbatons carriage.

“Madame Maxime?” Harry asked, an amused smile on his face once he realized who it was as the two stepped closer to the light.

“It’s cute,” Susan chuckled, getting to her feet. “I do feel bad that we’re crashing their date.”

“They won’t even know we’re there,” Harry promised. He got to his feet and grabbed his bag, pulling the invisibility cloak out of it. “Come on.”

“I just think he should be more careful,” Daphne murmured, stepping closer to Harry to let him wrap the cloak around her. She seemed surprised by the quality of the cloak, but didn’t comment on it.

“Koala?” Susan asked.

“Koala,” Harry confirmed. Nearly a year of sneaking together under the cloak had made it easy for the two of them to operate as a team. Susan stepped in front of Harry and let him pull her as close to his body as possible. His arm snaked around her waist to make sure she didn’t stumble. “This is the only way all three of us will fit,” Harry whispered.

Daphne nodded, the pink in her cheeks growing darker as she pressed into his side, grasping his free hand for support. Harry dropped the part of the cloak he had been holding up, obscuring all three of them from sight.

“Why did you say Hagrid needed to be careful?” Harry asked as they slowly climbed down the steps of the hut. The trio followed Hagrid and Madame Maxime into the forest at a safe distance. Even with their closeness, it was impossible to eliminate the occasional flash of an arm or leg poking out from under the cloak. Harry just hoped the combination of darkness and the fact that the two were engrossed in an animated conversation was enough to make sure Madame Maxime did not notice she and Hagrid were being followed.

“Well, you’ve surely noticed how smitten Professor Hagrid is with her, right?” Daphne asked, leaning into Harry for support as they stepped over the large, exposed root of a tree.

“Vaguely.”

“Oh, please.” Susan snorted. “He’s blind as a bat when it comes to things like this. It took him six months to realize I had a crush on him, and another two before he understood I was waiting for him to make the first move,” Susan teased. “So, no, he had no idea that his friend had a crush on someone.”

Daphne grinned. “Men.”

“Indeed.”

Harry sighed. “Are we going to talk about Hagrid, or do you two just plan to while away the time making jokes at my expense?”

“I can’t see why we can’t do both, Harry dearest,” Susan whispered, gently wiggling her bum against him, a playful glint in her eyes.

“We can definitely do both,” Daphne teased, sounding much more at ease than she had been in the hut. “Especially since Professor Hagrid is just as blind as Harry.”

Harry sighed again.

Is this going to be my life now?

“You seem to have forgotten last night’s… lesson,” he whispered, tightening his hold around Susan’s waist.

“I think it has… faded… from memory, sir,” Susan murmured, arching her back slightly to press her ass into his crotch.

Daphne coughed quietly.

“I… Right.”

“Anyways,” Daphne said, the pink of her cheeks now dark enough to be clearly discernible, even in the darkness. “Don’t you think it’s odd that she agreed to go out with him right before the First Task? And has asked him to take her to wherever the magical creatures for the First Task are being kept for their date? I know cheating is part of the Triwizard Tournament’s tradition, but I also feel like she is just using him for information.”

Harry and Susan exchanged silent looks. Daphne Greengrass, had so far, been entirely unlike what they had been expecting.

“You’re worried about him,” Harry said softly.

“He’s one of the few people in this castle who treats me like a human being, Potter,” Daphne said, some of her customary coldness returning to her voice. “I just don’t want to see him get his heart broken.”

“Of course,” Susan whispered, reaching out to pat Daphne’s hand.

“They’ve paused.”

The two girls turned to where Harry was looking. Hagrid and Madame Maxine had stopped behind a tall thicket of bushes.

“Why here? There’s nothing here. Is there?” Susan asked.

Her question was answered when the stillness of the night was pierced by a loud, blood-curling roar.

“There’s definitely something here,” Harry whispered, wincing as Susan grabbed his arm, her nails digging into his skin.

“The question is… what?” Daphne interjected.

“Let’s circle around.” All three of them quietly moved away from the couple. Harry spotted an opening in the thicket and slipped in between the bushes, silently questioning the wisdom of moving in the direction of the roars instead of walking away. Whatever the creature was, there was certainly more than one. He could count four distinct sounds.

I need to know what to prepare for, he reminded himself, steeling his nerves before walking the last few steps.

“Well… shit,” Daphne murmured as the large clearing came into view.

“Is it too late to ask for the Acromantulas?” Harry joked, trying to comfort a visibly trembling Susan. He wrapped both arms around the redhead, turning her face so she was nuzzling into his chest rather than looking out at the dragons rampaging around the enormous clearing.

Harry turned to look at a rather familiar-looking redhead talking to Hagrid and Madame Maxime. He seemed to be the one in charge, and Harry was sure he had seen him somewhere before. The rest of the people under him, some twenty to thirty witches and wizards, danced around the dragons, herding them back into the cages arranged in the four corners of the clearing. Harry discreetly shifted his arm to make sure Susan didn’t see the mountains of animal bones arranged in four different spots.

“That’s a Welsh Green,” Daphne whispered. She sounded exhilarated. Harry reached out with a hand, stopping the entranced girl from walking toward the green-scaled creature. She blushed.

“R-right. Sorry. I just… they’re dragons! Real, live, dragons!” She whispered, delirious with excitement.

“They are. And I have to fight one in less than fifteen days, Daphne,” Harry pointed out wryly. Susan clutched his arm harder and hiccuped quietly.

“I… yeah. Sorry.”

“No problem,” Harry said with a smile. He had a growing suspicion their new friend was a younger, smaller, much more beautiful version of Hagrid.

“Well, you shouldn’t have too much of a problem if you get the Welsh Green. They’re very docile, and usually only eat sheep, avoiding human contact as much as possible. In fact, I’ve read that they even let their handlers pet them after prolonged exposure.”

Harry would have asked Daphne if she wanted to pet a dragon if he wasn’t already certain that the answer was a resounding yes.

“That one’s a Swedish Short-Snout,” Daphne said, pointing to the dragon with the iridescent blue scales. “Absolute beast. Their flame is-” Almost as if on cue, the dragon let loose a large jet of fire bright enough to light up the entire clearing. It was so hot that Harry felt his skin prickle, even though they were several feet away from the dragon. “You get the point.”

“Yep.”

“But they’re comical klutzes on the ground. Can barely walk because of the lack of forelimbs. Definitely can’t run or chase someone. You can use that to your advantage.”

Daphne turned to the smallest dragon in the clearing. “That’s a Chinese Fireball. It can’t fly very high. Unlike the Short-Snout, if you get it, you definitely want to take your fight to the air.”

“And the last one?” Harry asked, watching the brown dragon uproot several large trees with a single swipe of its spiked tail.

“Hungarian Horntail,” Daphne answered, her voice laced with a mixture of dread and admiration. “I have no advice for that one because it has no obvious weaknesses. The entire creature is built like a weapon from head to tail. It has a bite strong enough to tear a body into two halves with one snap and breathes fire hot enough to melt the flesh off your bones. The last account of one that I read was of a dragon handler who had to have an arm amputated because the poisoned spikes on the tail of a Hungarian Horntail had torn out large chunks of flesh and the wounds simply wouldn’t heal.” A strangled sob escaped Susan’s throat.

“I’m sure I won’t get the Horntail,” Harry whispered, kissing her head. “I think we’ve seen enough. Let’s go.”

He turned to leave, but Daphne grabbed his arm. “Wait.”

“Daphne, the longer we stay, the greater the risk of getting caught,” Harry said as way of a reason. But he also nodded to a clearly distraught Susan, hoping she’d catch the hint.

“Every cage has a nest with eggs in it,” Daphne murmured, taking a step closer to the clearing. “But that’s not all it has. Look.”

Harry turned again, squinting to make out the dully glinting structure in the nest. “Is that an egg? A golden egg.”

“What if the task isn’t to fight and defeat a dragon? Which, let's face it, is impossible even if you get the Welsh Green. Maybe it’s just to steal a treasure the dragon is guarding?” Daphne opined.

“A test of our bravery and our wit,” Harry whispered, the frown on his face easing somewhat.

“Exactly. A much more doable task, especially now that we know what it is and can prepare for it,” Daphne said, finally turning around and following Harry and Susan away from the clearing.

The three slowly retraced their steps, trekking out of the Forbidden Forest at a leisurely pace. Harry had stuffed the invisibility cloak back in his bag, allowing all of them much greater freedom of movement.

“You know, you’re far more relaxed about this than I thought you’d be,” Daphne pointed out, her voice tinged with respect.

“I have time to prepare. I have you, Susan, and Hermione to help me. This isn’t the first time I’ve faced a dangerous creature, and honestly, I don’t think this will be the most dangerous one I’ve fought either.”

“You keep mentioning Acromantulas. Did you really encounter one?”

“Not just one. There’s an entire colony of them in the Forbidden Forest,” Harry answered. He chuckled at the expression on Daphne’s face at that particular titbit of information.

She’s definitely a mini-Hagrid.

“You also fought and defeated a Basilisk,” Susan finally spoke, still sounding close to tears.

“Exactly. And unlike the basilisk, I won’t have to fight the dragon with my eyes closed, nor will I be completely unprepared. I just have to get past the dragon, not kill it,” Harry pointed out, gently squeezing Susan’s hand. “Not to mention the fact that Voldemort won’t be around this time. I feel good about my chances.” He ignored the shudders from the two girls when he uttered the name of the Dark Lord.

“If you can escape a basilisk unscathed, you can surely do the same with a dragon. Especially in a controlled environment where there are people to step in if things go wrong,” Susan reasoned, slowly calming down.

“Exactly.” Harry glanced down at his arm, the small mark left by the basilisk tooth hidden by his sweater’s sleeve. He had nearly died that day and would have if not for Fawke’s intervention. A fact he hadn’t shared with anyone. Some burdens were his to bear alone.

He glanced at Daphne. She was bursting to ask him about the Basilisk, that much was more than evident from her face.

“Later,” Harry said with a chuckle. They were close to the edge of the forest, the moonlit grounds and Hagrid’s still-lit hut now visible through the trees.

“Oka-” Daphne was cut off as she rounded the last tree, colliding with someone. “Pro… Professor Karkaroff,” Daphne whispered, her face as white as a sheet. She stood frozen in place, her nails digging into her palms again as all the ease and happiness of the last hour fled her.

“Miss Greengrass.” His voice was as slick and swarmy as ever, and he was eyeing Daphne with a look that made Harry want to punch him hard enough to break his nose. “What are you doing out so late? In the company of a known womanizer, and without a chaperone to boot,” he sneered, shooting Harry and Susan a distasteful glare.

“Why does she need a chaperone?” Harry growled. He might well be blind when it came to gauging a woman’s interest in him, but years of living with the Dursleys meant that being good at reading body language had been nothing less than a necessity to survive.

And everything about Daphne screamed that the man’s presence terrified her.

“I wouldn’t expect someone as uncouth as you to understand, but I am sure her purity is something the man courting her values highly. Draco will not like you gallivanting around the castle with Potter like a common whore, Miss Greengrass.”

“Malfoy isn’t courting Daphne. Harry is,” Susan growled, shooting daggers at Karkaroff. She was barely restraining herself from slapping the utter bastard.

‘She’s as sweet as sugar, but be careful. Only an idiot pisses off a honey badger.’ Harry grinned when he remembered Sirius’ words.

Susan would chuck the asshole into the lake to protect her new friend, consequences be damned, because that was just who she was as a person. And she wouldn’t be alone in protecting Daphne.

“And we were in the forest because there’s this amazing clearing where you can stargaze, have a picnic and make love,” Harry lied, taking Daphne’s hand. He gently pulled her into his side, the trembling girl quietly burrowing into the safety of his chest.

Take care of Daphne. Protect Hagrid, he reminded himself.

“So much sex. Oh, we fucked Harry like absolute sluts. I know how upsetting the thought of that can be, especially for a man who hasn’t felt the touch of a woman without paying her in forever, but have you tried hooking up with a banshee, professor? I hear they aren’t too fussed about looks, size, or ability,” Susan said, her hand disappearing into the pocket of her jeans to grab her wand.

“How dare-” Karkaroff had turned purple with rage, a vein angrily pulsating on his forehead. “You do not speak to a-”

“You’re not our teacher,” Harry interjected coldly. “We don’t owe you anything. But the next time you speak to my girlfriend like this, you will be sorry, Professor Karkaroff.”

“Does your father know what you’ve been up to?” Karkaroff growled, extending his hand. Harry twisted, deftly keeping Daphne out of his reach. Karkaroff’s eyes went wide at the feel of a wand poking against his throat.

“Y-you…” He stammered, taking a step backward.

“Will cause a major international incident? I don’t really care,” Susan said cheerfully. “Break the law? One of the many advantages of my Aunt being the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement is that I know my laws. You reached for her first. That’s assault. Me blowing your head off might be disproportionate, but it will still be considered self-defense.” There was a suppressed rage in her voice that confused Harry. It wasn’t just because of his behavior towards Daphne, as reprehensible as that had been. This was something far deeper.

Karkaroff glared at the three of them with impotent rage, before swirling around and wordlessly tramping down to where the Durmstrang ship was anchored.

“My father does know about it,” Daphne said, her voice hoarse. She hadn’t realized the man had left, and could no longer hear them. “And there’s no one more relieved than he at the thought that Malfoy might never have the opportunity to touch me.”

Harry glanced at Susan, who gave him a slight nod.

“He never will,” Harry promised, his voice laced with conviction. He picked Daphne up, making sure her arms and legs were locked around him before carrying the emotionally exhausted girl back to the castle.

                                                              —

When Daphne opened her eyes, they were someplace noisy and warm, and she was still safe and sound on Harry’s lap. A house elf in a tea cosy laying a tray with tea and scones on the table in front of them made her realize they were in the kitchens.

“It’s okay. You passed out. Go back to sleep,” Harry whispered, gently guiding her head back to his shoulder. His hand was massaging her back, lulling her back to the peace and quiet of her dreams. The one place where she was without fear or worry about her future. She tried to fight it, to get the night back on track after it had been so spectacularly derailed by Igor ‘Sleazeball’ Karkaroff, but it was futile. The room was just too warm, and her human bed was far too comfortable. She was already slipping out of consciousness when he said, “You’re safe now.”

“I believe you,” she whispered, as the world around her went dark.

Notes: 

I didn't want Harry and Daphne's relationship to be a rehash of 'The Grass Is Always Greener' so I made changes to Daphne's backstory that affects their relationship majorly in this story and explores something new. Trauma and loss changes a person's behaviour. As Daphne heals from her trauma in the safe space provided by our loveable couple, she will slowly return to her old badass self. The next chapter has the 3 sharing a bed for the first time and some amazing smut! Also Chapter 3 of 'A Happy Ending' will be up Friday.