HP: The Magical Gamer [Chapter 129: Red Grim?! ] (Patreon)

"I was attacked last night." She said without a preamble. And he could now at last show his concern.

He took her hands in his and asked even when already knowing the answer. "What happened?"

There was a beat of silence before she answered him.

"You should know, shouldn't you, Red Grim?" Her response made him freeze for a second.

"What are you talking about?" He said, acting clueless, moving back and looking at her with a flummoxed expression.

She shot him a deadpan look and blew out a long sigh.

"You have your secrets as I have mine. Since you have never tried to pry, I won't either. But it was bleedingly obvious that the Red Grim was you, Harry. Thank you for your help by the way." She said softly, taking his hands back in hers and giving a reassuring squeeze.

Harry stared into her eyes and saw her stubborn conviction. There was no way to hide it from her.

"Why do you think I am Red Grim?" He asked instead, not exactly confessing, but neither putting on an innocent act.

She offered him a gentle exasperated smile, intertwining her fingers with his.

"Harry, you are my friend. One of my best friends. We have grown up together. We have known each other since we were toddlers. I would like to think that after all this time I will know you well enough. Not as intimately as Iris, of course, but still, I know how you walk and talk. And then there were your conspicuous green eyes. Seriously, Harry, you should have at least changed your eye colour. I can bet that any of our friends would have recognised you, even Hermione."

"Really?" He couldn't help but ask. He totally thought that his disguise was enough to fool anyone. Apparently not his friend.

"Really." She chuckled, a rare sound. But what was rarer was what she did next. She stood on her toes and gave his lips a quick peck.

It wasn't a kiss. It really wasn't. Just a small friendly peck. And yet, Harry's face bloomed red. He blushed like a virgin maiden as she stepped away, shooting him a smug look for getting this reaction out of him. Though her smug look was ruined by her own flushed face.

"Uhm… yes, I am Red Grim." He mumbled, still a bit out of it.

She just nodded, not uttering anything, shuffling awkwardly.

Harry suppressed his embarrassment by considering it rationally.

If he hadn't ever batted an eye while sharing these small pecks with his sister, he shouldn't blow it out of proportion for Daphne now. She was also his sister in some ways. 

This brief, very brief, contact of their lips wasn't anything momentous or out of ordinary. Really. Totally. Absolutely.

'SHE JUST KISSED ME. WE ARE DEFINITELY GOING TO GET MARRIED.' He didn't think that. He really didn't.

"You know, sometimes you talk so much and sometimes you talk too little." Harry rambled, saying the first thing that came to his mind to break the heavy silence.

She shrugged. "I talk when I want."

"Yes, which is absolutely fine." Harry agreed quickly, not wanting to appear as if he was criticising her.

She cleared her throat, trying to overcome the awkwardness and looked him right in the eyes, since she was braver than he was, and announced. "As I said earlier, because you haven't ever tried to pry into my secrets, I will return the courtesy. I won't ask you why, how and what. But just be careful. Both of you."

"We will."

"I am relieved to hear that. Also, what is it with this necklace? It saved me from the Unforgivable."

"Oh yes. I made this necklace. It almost makes you invincible against any magical attacks except the Killing Curse. Although, it can absorb one Killing Curse before portkey-ing you to Potter Manor before disintegrating. I guess you can call it total invincibility too."

Daphne listened to his explanation and by the end of it she was wearing an incredulous expression. "You made it? And it protects against every magical attack?"

"Yup."

"That's bloody brilliant. How did you do it? Have you been learning enchanting in secret for years?"

"Secrets. I will tell you mine if you tell me yours."

"I see. Secrets. Maybe some other time." Daphne frowned, not ready to discuss her life goals with him yet.

Harry shrugged, not taking any offence at her mistrust. Well, it did hurt him a little, he just didn't show it. He wished she would come clean and give him an opportunity to add her to his Party.

But how could he trust her fully if she couldn't return the gesture?

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The next day, the entire school was stumped after the Headmaster's announcement. Apparently, six students were found dead in the dungeons.

Now, it made sense. The reason for the aurors in Hogwarts.

Fortunately for the dead, Dumbledore didn't reveal what they were planning to do. He did not disclose that the six students were would-be rapists and mercenaries, not wanting to tarnish the dead's reputation.

No more information was provided. The only thing the student population knew was that six of them were killed by some mysterious being named Red Grim. 

That a serial killer had been able to infiltrate Hogwarts.

Although, not everyone was angry or hateful at the Red Grim. There were muggle-borns and half-bloods who were well aware of him and knew his modus operandi. 

They knew that there must have been a reason for the Grim's appearance. That the six students must have done something bad to incur his attention. 

Still, they did not voice their doubts, knowing that a single spark was all that needed for an explosion.

Daphne didn't add her own revelations in the rumour mill, not minding that her name wasn't attached to this 'catastrophe'. 

There was no need to go for the dead when they were already… dead. She couldn't care less if they were branded evil or not after their death.