Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I'm only playing in JKR's sandbox.

Warning: English is not my first language, so there are probably some weird expressions and grammar quirks inside of this story. If you don't like it, don't read it.

DGHPDGHPDGHP

01Trapped

Daphne Greengrass looked down at the letter in her hand. Her calm face betrayed nothing of the turmoil inside of her. She read it again, word for word, and still couldn't believe it.

Dearest daughter,

I hope this letter finds you well.It is with greatest reluctance that I submit an offer to you I received today. I know that your mother and I promised you that we'll never force you into a marriage against your will. This promise still stands.However, I implore you to consider this offer carefully. You are the female heiress to an Ancient House. I fear what will become of you and our house should something happen to me. Sadly, we live in uncertain times. I am determined to keep the neutrality of our house, but you know as well as I do that this might be my death sentence, now that the Dark Lord has returned.

Today, Everard Nott offered a marriage contract between his younger son Theodore and you. Since he is your housemate, I suppose you know young Theodore very well, so I don't have to lose many words about him. His father insinuated that young Theodore is not intended follow the footsteps of his older brother, since his delicate magic precludes him from these honours. As a younger son with no prospects to inherit the title of Head of House Nott, young Theodore is also quite willing to take on the Greengrass name. He will leave the right to lead the Ancient House of Greengrass to you, but requires that your eldest child will be made your heir. Also, the marriage contract will include the right of living separately as soon as an heir is born, should one party wish so. You will both retain the right to back out of this contract until your 19th birthday. However, if you don't, you will have to become married before your 21st birthday.

Your sharp mind will immediately grasp the political as well as the personal advantages of the proposal, I am sure, especially in regards to your younger sister.Please, let me know your decision as soon as possible.

Love, Dad

She put the letter in a strongbox on her desk. Then she left the room she shared in the Slytherin dorms with her best friend, Tracey Davis. Her face still betrayed nothing of the confusion she felt when she entered the common room.

Her prey sat in one of the many secluded niches of the room, together with his roommate Blaise Zabini. He also held a sheet of parchment in his hands, and looked at it with an expression akin to horror.

'It's not very flattering that you regard a marriage to me with such obvious distaste, Theodore,' she said as she sat down beside him.

He startled. 'Sorry, Daphne, I don't mean to offend you. It's only …' His voice trailed off, and his eyes moved toward Blaise Zabini as if looking for help.

'Theodore, I'm about as excited to become the odd one out in your happy relationship with Blaise as you are to marry me.'

His face turned ashen. 'How did you know?'

She regarded him with the look Professor McGonagall reserved for especially thick-witted students. 'Honestly, Theodore. Everyone in our year knows what happens in your bedroom as soon as you two close the door behind you. You're not particularly discrete about it. Personally, I'd advise revising Silencing Charms.'

He turned even paler, while Blaise Zabini laughed out loud. He put a hand on Theo's shoulder. 'I told you so.'

Theo buried his face in the palms of his hands. 'I hope my father doesn't find out. He'll kill me.'

Daphne put a hand on his arm. 'Don't worry about that, Theodore. You know, "What happens in Slytherin, stays in Slytherin",' she quoted the most important rule their Head of House, Professor Snape, and the older students had drilled into them from their first day on in the dungeons. 'Besides that, we have too much dirt on our classmates that they'd dare to throw dirt at you, Theodore.'

He let out an unhappy laugh. 'That's true,' he admitted. He put his hands down and looked at her. 'What do you think about this proposal, Daphne?'

'It'll buy us some time. I won't turn nineteen before August 1999. That are almost three years from now.'

'A lot can happen in this time,' Blaise said slowly.

Daphne fixed her sapphire blue eyes on him. 'Exactly. Bearing Theodore's "delicate magical condition" in mind, we don't have to worry about interfering commitments, either. That'll help maintaining the neutrality of the Ancient House of Greengrass until – a final decision is made.'

The three Slytherins exchanged meaningful glances.

'You think it'll be over within the next three years?' Theodore asked, lowering his voice.

Daphne nodded. She looked around if anyone was listening into their conversation. Then she took out her wand and muttered. 'Muffliato!' Putting away her wand, she said, 'He's out to kill him. Rumours say he's impatient, almost unbalanced. He'll seek the final confrontation as soon as possible. He's got to prove himself, especially since the fiasco at the Ministry for Magic.'

'What happened there? I heard some rather odd stories. Is it true Potter went there and battled the Dork Lord?' Blaise asked.

'Don't use that moniker, Blaise. They can't hear us under the Muffliato Charm, but they can still read your lips,' Theo cautioned. He turned to Daphne. 'Can you tell us about that fight? Father wouldn't tell me.'

'All I can tell you are snippets I heard here and there,' Daphne started. 'However, the gist is there seems to be a prophecy that states that Potter's the one who has to kill him. The Dark Lord didn't know the contents of the prophecy and lured Potter into the Ministry to retrieve it for him. He sent some of his merry little friends to the Ministry to ambush Potter. Potter, however, didn't turn up alone, and he and his friends put up a good fight, too. They managed to escape. For some reason, the Dark Lord decided to make an appearance, too. He fought with Dumbledore. During that fight, the Dark Lord tried to possess Potter, but was unable to keep the possession. He fled Potter's body and the Ministry, apparently seriously hurt. He's reported to have been in a very unstable mood ever since then.'

Blaise let out a low whistle. 'Wow, so Potter really's the Chosen One.'

'It seems so,' Daphne nodded. 'We'd better hope and pray it's true, because he's our only hope for freedom.'

The two young men nodded solemnly to her words.

'Who told you this?' Theodore asked.

'Tory,' Daphne replied. 'She's pried it out of Draco. Of course, his story was a little different, but during the last five years I've learned to read between the lines of his stories.'

'Haven't we all?' Blaise grinned, his voice dripping with irony.

'Excuse me, gentlemen,' Daphne said and stood up. 'I have to decide what response I'll give my father. I'll go for a walk around the castle to clear my head.'

She went out of the common room and headed up to the seventh floor. She loved the view over the Hogwarts grounds the huge windows of the Gallery there offered. Lost in her thoughts, she admired the view, and didn't hear the soft footsteps behind her.

'Stupefy!' a hoarse voice whispered.

The hex hit her square into the back, and her world went black.

DGHPDGHPDGHP

She woke up to a hand shaking her shoulder. 'No, mum, just five minutes more, please!' she groaned, her eyes still shut.

An amused chuckle answered her. 'Sorry, sleepyhead; I'm not your mum. Time to wake up, though, I'm afraid,' a male voice said.

She froze. She knew that voice, but couldn't place it in her addled state of mind. She opened her eyes, only to stare in impenetrable darkness. She lay rather uncomfortable on a lumpy ground, while her head was bedded on a soft cushion that seemed to move up and down slowly. It took her some seconds to realise that she was spread out over another person laying beneath her. Her heart hammered, and she scrambled to a sitting position, using her left hand to stabilize herself on something squishy.

'Ouch!' her companion yelped.

Realising which body part she had accidentally touched, she snatched her hand away, glad he couldn't see her turning beet red while she did so. 'Sorry!' she almost yelled.

''S okay,' he gasped. She heard him taking a deep breath, obviously trying to overcome the pain. 'A little crowded inside here, isn't it?' he added conversationally.

'Yeah,' she added, not really paying attention to him. Her hands fumbled in the pockets of her robe for her wand, but came up empty.

'Don't bother looking for your wand. They've taken it,' her companion said.

She heard him move in the darkness. Daphne cursed under her breath, long and hard.

'That one's new to me,' he complimented her.

'Oh, shut up! You'd better tell me how much!' she snapped at him.

'Eh – uh?'

Her irritation grew at his obvious acting. 'How eloquent! How much did you pay your cronies to be locked up with me in this closet?' she fumed. After all, it wasn't the first time this happened to her.

'What?!' he yelled. 'What do you think of me? I got stunned into the back on my way back to the dorm and then woke up inside of here.' His indignation seemed to be spontaneous and outright.

'You wouldn't be the first one,' she replied, much calmer and trying to mollify him.

'Eww. What kind of guy forces himself on a girl like that?' He sounded disgusted.

Daphne snorted. 'You'd be surprised. That's the third time I find myself in a broom closet with a boy against my will.'

'That's sick. I hope these boys have been punished accordingly.'

He must be either a Hufflepuff or a Gryffindor, she decided. Ravenclaws and Slytherins knew only too well to what lengths some of the older boys of their houses would go to get their way with a girl they desired. Aloud she said, 'I gather you're a Gryffindor or a Hufflepuff, then. Unfortunately, sexual harassment is not uncommon in my house. There are also rumours about a rape or two. Sorry to disturb your ideal world.'

'That … that …' he stuttered. 'That's disgusting,' he finally managed to get out. 'I'm sorry what you've had to go through, whatever that's worth.'

'Don't be,' Daphne replied. 'Even without my wand, 'I'm not completely helpless. That arsehole didn't get what he wanted. Instead, he sung soprano for a while – twice!' She couldn't keep the deep satisfaction she felt at that memory out of her voice.

He laughed out loud. 'Good for you!'

She joined his laughter. 'Thanks! This time I'm locked up with a real gentleman, it seems. I know I know your voice, but I can't put a face to it. So, who are you?'

'I'm Harry Potter.'

'Oh.' Daphne's mouth almost hung open in surprise. Gryffindor's Golden Boy, as the Slytherins derisively called him, of all people! 'That was unexpected. I'm Daphne Greengrass.'

'Nice to meet you, Greengrass.'

'Nice to meet you, too, Potter,' she replied.

They shook hands in the darkness and then laughed about the absurdity of it all.

'So, what's next?' he asked.

'We have to get out of here,' Daphne decided. 'Get up, Potter!'

They scrambled to their feet. It was not a small feet in the darkness of the narrow closet, and accompanied by a lot of elbow poking and mutual apologies, but finally they both managed to stand on their feet.

'This shouldn't be too difficult,' she told him. 'I have a foolproof way out of here. Dipsy!'

Nothing happened. Her personal house elf that had been bonded to her the day of her birth didn't show up.

'You've called a Hogwarts elf? I didn't know that was possible,' Potter said.

Daphne frowned. Why didn't Dipsy show up? 'No, Dipsy is my personal elf. That's the first time she didn't answer my call. I wonder why. I really hope she's not in trouble, too.'

'You have your elf with you at Hogwarts? I didn't know that was allowed.' He sounded surprised.

Daphne frowned even deeper. 'Come on, Potter, you don't have to play the part of the modest Gryffindor with me.'

'What are you talking about?' he asked, sounding genuinely confused.

What it possible that he didn't know? No better time to find out than now, she decided. 'I'm the Heiress Presumptive to an Ancient House and allowed to keep a personal servant at Hogwarts because of my status, just like you are as the Heir Apparent to a Most Ancient and an Ancient House.'

'I am what? You're having me on, Greengrass!'

Merlin, he really didn't know. The surprise in his voice was genuine. 'I'm not kidding you, Potter. You are the Heir Apparent to the Most Ancient House of Peverell and the Ancient House of Potter. And you're allowed to have a house elf here at Hogwarts to serve you personally.'

'No one ever told me,' he whispered. Silence descended between them.

'All right, all this talk about our social status isn't going to get us out of here,' Daphne finally said to break the silence. 'Any ideas how to get out of here, Potter?'

'Let's look where the way out is,' he suggested. 'You'll take this side' – she heard him knock against the wall to her right – 'and I'll take the other.'

'All right,' she agreed.

They started to scan the walls with their hands, painfully trying to avoid touching each other in the confined space. While doing so, Daphne tried to find an answer to the problem why Dipsy didn't show up when called. She didn't like the only probable solution she came up with at all. Whoever put them in this closet must have done something to Dipsy, too, and that worried Daphne deeply. She loved the little creature that had helped raising her dearly.

Distracted by her worries, she didn't pay attention to her movements, and her backside touched Potter's. For a second, her bum was pressed against his. It felt muscular, yet soft under his robes. Against her will, she felt aroused. 'Great', she thought to herself, 'no need to book a ticket for the Drool-Over-Potter-Club just because you're locked with him in a broom-closet, Greengrass!' She closed her eyes and tried to force the unwelcomed feeling away. Instead, images of Potter flooded her mind.

He was in the locker rooms of the Qudditch Stadium. The Quidditch Cup stood on the bench beside him. He took off his soiled Quidditch robes until only his boxers remained on his body. His upper body glistened with perspiration and his wet hair was messier than usual. Slowly, her eyes traced down from his incredible emerald eyes toward his wiry, yet toned body. He looked absolutely dishy and she had to kiss him now or she was going to burst …

Daphne's eyes went wide open. Merlin, what was happening with her? Why was she suddenly hallucinating about Potter? She tried to get her desire to jump at the boy beside her under control, employing every Occlumency meditation technique her grandfather had taught her when she was still small. It didn't help much. Potter had become very quiet, too, and had stopped moving. She could hear his strained breathing. Something was very odd here, Daphne thought.

'Potter?' she managed to croak.

'Yeah?' His voice sounded as breathless as she felt.

'Something … something strange is happening here. I get funny ideas about you.'

'I get funny ideas about you, too, Greengrass. Something's not right here.'

Sudden realisation hit her. 'They must have fed us a Lust Potion!' she gasped. 'It must have been triggered when our – ehem – behinds touched.'

He laughed, but there wasn't much humour in his laughter. 'I admire that you still seem to be able to think logical under these circumstances. Sorry, I certainly can't.'

She retorted without thinking. 'That proves that boys aren't using their brains, but are thinking with their …'

'Don't you dare finishing that sentence, Greengrass!' he gritted out between his teeth.

She hadn't thought of what that certain mental image would do to him in his present state. She tried to feel sorry for him, but couldn't. Instead, triumph welled up inside of her at the thought what she was able to do to him with simple words. How would he react if she skipped the words and simply started acting upon her feelings? However, some sense still prevailed deep inside of her. 'Sorry,' she told him, but couldn't keep the grin out of her voice.

'Let's just ignore each other, okay? It has to wear off eventually, doesn't it?' he pleaded. His voice sounded rather desperate.

'All right,' she agreed. Time to change the topic and to distract themselves, Daphne decided. 'What about the door? Any luck on your side?' she asked.

'No, I've found nothing but a smooth wall.'

'Same here. They must have transformed the door to a wall,' Daphne replied.

Again, silence descended on the small broom closet, only permeated by their heavy breathing.

Daphne could hear Potter groaning. She could only imagine that he was fighting off similar erotic fantasies to the ones that presently assaulted herself. Yet, there was still a small part in the back of her head that was capable to rationally analyse her situation. She was trapped in a broom closet with a boy she hardly knew and they'd both been fed a Lust Potion that made rational thought increasingly difficult. She felt the Pull that made her want to jump at him and tear his robes off his body getting stronger and stronger. A half-forgotten paragraph from the medieval part of the Greengrass Family Grimoire popped up in her head.

"While it is possible to counteract the effects of a common Lust Potion by sheer willpower, this outcome can be circumvented by intensifying the effects of the Potion with a simple Enhancement Charm. Not even the most reluctant bride will be able to resist her husband any longer if she's been treated with such a Potion before her wedding night. However, a word of caution is advisable. There is no antidote to a Lust Potion combined with an Enhancement Charm. Also, the consummation must take place immediately, because the longer the bride steams under the influence of the Potion, the bigger her desire will get and the longer it will take to be satisfied. Also, the Enhancement Charm must be weaved with utmost delicacy, not to strengthen the Potion too much and thus creating an overly demanding bride."

Just spiffing, Daphne thought. A Potion that was designed to turn herself and Potter into the proverbial rabbits. But was this situation really so bad? What other choices did she have? She was looking forward to a wedding night with Theodore Nott, who didn't want her. Her other option was giving in to one of the brutes from her own house, or, even worse, Malfoy. She shuddered at the thought. Potter was at least handsome and reported to be very kind and considerate. He'd treat her well. That she was sure of. Didn't she deserve her first time being with a man who'd appreciate her?

The dice was rolled within a split second.

'Potter?' Her own audacity made her breathless.

'Yeah?'

'It doesn't work, Potter. They must have combined the Lust Potion with an Enhancement Charm. The more we ignore it, the worse it gets. If we keep on ignoring the compulsion, we'll probably be at it for three days in a row when we finally break.'

'What a delightful thought, Greengrass!'

She grinned to herself. This was getting even better. She'd always had a soft spot for men with a sarcastic humour. Aloud she said, 'No need to be sarcastic, Potter. I was just pointing out what probably is going to happen to us.'

He trembled beside her. 'Not. Helping. At. All. Greengrass,' he panted. 'Any ideas how to get us out of this mess?'

His throaty voice sent shivers down her spine. 'Maybe …' Daphne hesitated. This was her last chance to back out.

'Maybe what?'

She took a deep breath. 'Maybe we should just go with it. Get it out of our systems, you know?'

He startled. 'You're joking, Greengrass!'

'I wish I was. It's either that or losing our minds. I've been told how this Potion and Charm combination works. It won't simply wear off and there isn't an antidote.' She turned around and put a hand on his back. He stiffened under her touch and let out a supressed groan of pleasure.

'Don't fight it, Potter. You're going to damage yourself that way.' She leaned closer to him, inhaling his unique scent. He smelled simply devour-able, she decided, like treacle tart, broom wax and musk, just like the smell that came out of Slughorn's cauldron of Amortentia.

He banged his head against the wall.

'Stop it, Potter. No need to hurt yourself over this.' She pressed her lips against his back.

Potter groaned out loud. Still, he resisted. 'If I act upon your words, you're going to scream bloody rape as soon as we are out of here. That'll mean expulsion and a couple of years in Azkaban for me, if your father doesn't get to me first. Thanks, Greengrass, but no, thanks. I might be horny beyond anything right now, but I don't have a death wish!'

Daphne grinned inwardly. She loved his sarcasm. 'I won't Harry, I promise. It'll be a mutual agreement. Nobody except us will ever have to know.' She snaked her arms across his waist and let her lips sent a trail of small kisses across his back. Oh, how she enjoyed him tremble under her ministrations!

'Aaargh, stop that, please! I'm not made of stone!'

'Are you sure about that?' she giggled. Her small hand had just found a certain spot in his mid-section and rubbed it gently.

'Daphne!' he gasped out, and then groaned, relishing the pleasure of her touch. Yet, the next second he grasped her forearm and yanked her hand away.

'Spoilsport!' Daphne pouted and send another trail of kisses across his back.

'Get a grip, Greengrass!'

Oh, this was so funny! 'I'd love to, but you don't let me!'

Harry whirled around. He grabbed her upper arms with both hands and tried to keep her away from him at arm's length, which was impossible in the tightness of the broom-closet.

She couldn't make out his face in the darkness, but she felt his hot breath on her face and him trembling with desire. 'Face it, Potter, you want me as much as I want you right now,' Daphne purred.

'Oh Merlin, yes! I want you! But it isn't right and you know it! What if you get pregnant?'

Daphne rolled her eyes. Bloody gallant Gryffindors! Any Slytherin given this opportunity would already be in her knickers by now. 'I'm on the Contraceptive Potion, idiot. Didn't I make it clear to you that in my house a girl has to take precautions?'

She could feel his resistance crumbling. His grip on her upper arms lessened. Immediately, she slung her arms around his neck and pressed her lips against the pulse on his throat.

Harry groaned. His arms wrapped around her smaller frame and his mouth descended onto hers.

It was pure ecstasy. Liquid fire rolled through her veins, and her head seemed to explode in an onslaught of emotions. She responded his kiss, never wanting to let go. She was vaguely aware that he'd cupped one hand around her breast and rubbed it gently. She moaned softly. It felt so good!

Finally, they had to come up for air. In the darkness of the closet, they still couldn't see each other, only feel and hear and taste. Their foreheads leaned against each other, their heavy breathing filled the air. Simultaneously, they started undressing each other with feverish hands, sharing hot, wet kisses.

Daphne's knees buckled under her. She allowed Harry to gently lower her onto the ground, while he caressed her naked body in places no man ever had touched before.

'Are you sure about this, Daphne?' he whispered into her ear.

She smiled. His chivalry was so cute! 'Yes, I am!' she whispered back and wrapped her arms around his neck. 'But if this has to be my first time, you'd better be gentle with me, Harry, and make it worth it for me.'

'I promise,' he said, before kissing her deeply again.

DGHPDGHPDGHP

Daphne woke up, spread over something heavenly soft and warm. She stirred and yawned.

'Good morning, Sleeping Beauty,' Harry whispered in her ear and dropped a kiss on her head.

The memories of last night flooded back. A broad grin spread over Daphne's face. Her fist time had been unbelievable. Harry had been all that she had hoped for and even more. He'd been sweet, tender, kind, caring and also very shy. He'd stirred up feelings inside of her she'd heard other girls talk about, but never expected to experience herself. Which was even more amazing as she was sure it had been a first time for him, too. 'G'd morning, luv,' she murmured, snuggling up to him. Merlin, he smelled even better than yesterday, she thought, burying her nose in the crook of his neck. 'I could get used to this,' she murmured, kissing him on the soft spot below his ear.

'Yeah, me too,' he said. 'Listen, Daphne, I'm sorry about what happened. Hadn't it been for the Potion, I'd never have forced me upon you the way I did.'

She silenced him by putting a finger on his lips. 'No need to apologize, Harry. I suggested to go with the Potion, remember? I did it not only because we had no other choice, but also because I wanted you to be my first one.'

'Uh?'

'As eloquent as ever,' she smiled. She sat up beside him and slung her arms around her knees. Her long, blonde hair fell over her shoulders, partly hiding her face, and gleaming in the flickering flames of a torch in the hallway that trickled into the closet through a small slit in the door. A small part of her registered that the charm on the closet's door must have worn off, but the thought didn't make it to the forefront of her mind. 'What do you know about pureblood customs, Harry?'

'Almost nothing. I grew up with Muggles. People around me always assume I know everything about the magical world, because my parents were both magical, my dad even coming from a pureblood family, but I know next to nothing. Nobody ever cared to teach me all the things you learned automatically while growing up,' he replied.

'That explains a lot what has puzzled me about you, Harry. You always acted so clueless.'

'Uh?'

She laughed, putting a strand of her hair behind her ear. 'I'll tell you later. Just let me explain what's on my mind right now, will you?'

'Go ahead,' he nodded.

'Most pureblood males think themselves superior to women. Though that attitude was about to die out at the beginning of the century, it got a new upswing when the Dork Lord rose to power.'

She could barely make out his face in the dim light, but she saw that he scrunched his face in disgust.

'Seems that a lot of horrible attitudes got an upswing when he came;' he said. 'By the way you talk about him you're not one of his supporters, I guess?'

Daphne let out a harsh laugh. 'I'd rather rot in hell. Mind you, foremost I'm a Slytherin and my first instinct will always be to run away rather than to fight, but when it comes to the Dork Lord, I'll consider my priorities. I hate what he did to us pureblood women. He knows nothing about our culture. Under the Dork Lord, proud witches were reduced to mere birthing machines, only good enough to pop out more little pureblood Death Eaters, but not allowed to have rights of their own. I blame him for the attitude the male members of our house show towards us girls. He's the reason why blatant sexual harassment and even rape are tolerated in Slytherin.' She took a deep breath and went on, much less agitated, 'I've seen it happen too many times in my house over the years. It happened to Gemma, and it happened to Pansy and Millie.'

Harry took her hand. He hesitated. Then he asked, 'Did it happen to you, too?'

Daphne shook her head. 'Fortunately, no. Or not yet, I'd rather say. I've always dreaded it. To be forced to -,' she stopped, unable to continue, and he squeezed her hand in silent support. 'That's why I made the decision to just go with the effects of the Potion tonight. I was so afraid my first time would be a rape. Everyone knows you are kind and considerate, Harry. You're very easy on the eyes, too. There aren't men like you in Slytherin, so the decision was easy for me. You've been gentle and tender. You made me feel loved and wanted, even though we were tricked into this. No girl can expect more of her first time, and I want to thank you for that.' A small tear trickled down her cheek.

Harry reached out with his hand and wiped it away with his thumb. Then he cupped her cheek with his hand. 'You're welcome,' he whispered. 'Come here.' He pulled her down towards him and wrapped her in his arms. Then their lips met.

This kiss was completely different from the first kiss they shared. It was tender and gentle; it spoke of hurt and healing and impending loss.

Finally, Daphne broke the kiss. 'We've got to get back to our dorms,' she whispered.

'Yeah,' Harry agreed and kissed her again.

'I don't want to go,' Daphne said after a rather long time.

'Neither do I.' Harry replied, still holding her tight to him.

Daphne drew little circles on his bare chest with her finger. 'I still feel rather affectionate, you know. Merlin, I don't know whether I should curse whoever did that to us or thank them on my knees!' That had them both chuckling.

'I guess we're both still feeling the lingering effects of the Potion. I have no idea how long it will last or how we should handle it,' Harry finally said.

She gave him a wicked grin. 'I'd still say go with it to get it out of our system and enjoy it while it lasts.'

'Woman, you'll be the death of me!' Harry snorted.

'And you'll enjoy every minute,' she replied and kissed him again, which eventually led to a repetition of their former activities.

Afterwards, they held each other in their arms, listening to their heartbeats.

'We've got to go,' Harry finally said. She nodded mutely. They dressed silently, not really wanting to part.

Daphne opened the door of the broom-closet and stepped out. She bent down and picked up their wands from the floor in front of the closet. She pocketed hers and held his out to him. 'Your wand, Harry.'

'Thanks,' he said. Instead grabbing his wand, he grabbed her wrist. 'When will we meet again?' They both knew there was no doubt they had to see each other again.

She worried her lower lip with her teeth. 'We'll have to be very careful. Whoever did this to us, is out to humiliate us. Besides, the Boy-Who-Lived and a Slytherin? The gossip mongers at school will think Christmas has come early. Not to mention what our friends will say.'

Harry grimaced, and she could easily imagine his thoughts. She didn't want to tell that bigot Weasel, either, if she were in his shoes. She still looked at him, worrying her lip between her teeth. 'On the sixth floor in the north wing of the castle is a row of unused storerooms. Nobody ever comes there. Meet me there after dinner. It's the second room on the right side.'

'I'll be there,' he promised. 'Now, let's get back to our dorms without Filch catching us.'

'Dipsy!' she called, hoping her elf would answer this time. To her relief the small elf popped up beside her immediately.

'Miss Daffy called Dipsy?' she asked.

'Please, take me back to my dorm, Dipsy,' Daphne said. She leaned forward and kissed Harry's cheek. 'See you tonight, Harry.'

She grabbed Dipsy's small hand, her eyes never leaving his face. He stood in the hallway, his hand touching his cheek where she had kissed him, and smiling softly. That was the last thing she saw when Dipsy popped her away.

t.b.c.