A/N: Hey guys, to those of you who follow and favorite me, I appreciate every single one of you who put up with me and my BS about not updating my stories. As you guys see on my profile, I don't have my other stories anymore. This is due to me not wanting to continue both due to my inconsistencies with the way I write and the lack of updates I provide for both of them. I was a horrible writer back then and I still consider myself at best mediocre compared to people I have seen write on this site. Nevertheless I'm back with another story that I don't know if I can finish. With me being in my last year of high school, I don't know if time will allow me to finish this story as I would love to finish one. I hope I can and I hope you all enjoy my new story. Also to the people who followed me because of my stories before, I completely understand if you want to either unfollow or unfavorite me. I know you guys were waiting on an update for both and I sincerely apologize for not doing my part in finishing those stories. If you are interested in continuing those stories, please PM me and we can talk about going about that. Thank you for putting up with my rambling and I hope you enjoy! Please R&R!

A Life Worth Living

There are many words to describe Daphne Greengrass. Beautiful being the most common, usually commenting on her enchanting bum or her perky breasts, from the opposite sex. Intelligent would be another that would suit her well. But rebellious? No one would even dream of Daphne Greengrass of being a rebellious adolescent. She is a respectable pureblood after all. Isn't she?

Daphne smiled at the thought running through her head as she sat in her usual undetectable spot in the library, away from the others. She sat there, happily reading through a muggle book that fascinated her to no end, The Great Gatsby. A book that would be a traitorous item to any respectable pureblood but a comfort item for her. She always was intrigued by the world of muggles. Their literature and art were just so fascinating. A far cry from the literature and books from the wizarding world. She always enjoyed the little things that makes muggle so interesting to her.

She always wanted to try and experience what'd be like to live in the muggle world, but that being easier said than done hasn't ever rang more true in her case. With her parents being the uptight role models of the perfect pureblood and focusing on furthering pureblood supremacy, the mere thought of living in the other world would have her exiled from the family within the second. Not only that, but them trying to consistently find her potential suitors left her no options in finding who she wanted. Daphne had always disagreed with the views of pureblood supremacy. Unfortunately, her speaking out in any way would be a death sentence.

She didn't have much friends or any worth mentioning for that matter, whether it'd be from outside of her house or inside. The people inside her house were despicable and only seek to further themselves by kissing and worshipping the ground that the Dark Wanker walked on. She didn't want to associate herself with any of them. For the people outside her house, they were either too intimidated by her or mocked and bullied her just because she was from Slytherin. Every time she would make contact with them, they either shy away or try to call her things like her being You-Know-Who's slut. She ignored it but that didn't mean it didn't give a pang of sadness and hurt in her heart every time she heard it.

It was a life she regrets having to go through with. A life in which everything she does has to be just right. The expectations set by the standards of a society that has been outdated for several centuries. A life that has no meaningful purpose for her, because she knows in the end, she'll be the same as every other pureblood girl. A woman who will only follow the whim of her so called "loving husband". Only to spout out heirs to the house she was married into.

She noticed some small drops of water on the page she was on and realized that it was leaking from her eyes. She stopped herself and soon the tears went away. It was always this way. In order to survive in Slytherin, she had to not only not show emotion to her fellow peers, if should even call them that, but also in private in order to not slip up when the situation presents itself. Also, you never really know if you're actually truly alone around Hogwarts. If she slipped up and showed the faintest hint of emotion, she would be ridiculed and be seen as weak.

She looked at the time and saw that it was only 20 minutes before her next class. With her free period almost ending, she folded the top corner of her page to mark where she stopped. She placed it in her bag and headed off to the 3rd floor to Defense Against the Dark Arts.

The thoughts that were still in her head annoyed her as she was walking. Oh how she wanted to get out of her situation but she knew she wasn't able to. She just wanted to be able to make a choice she wanted in life. Not her parents or society making it for her. If only a miracle can happen to get her away from the stress in her life. But she knew growing up that there are no such things as miracles. Until she rounded the corner and bumped heads with the one that will change that.

Harry Potter knew he was always the one to end it. It was always Voldemort and him. After learning about the contents of the prophecy, he knew from then on that this is his responsibility and his alone.

Knowing Ron and Hermione, they would disagree with him and try to convince him otherwise, but he knew they wouldn't understand. They won't be able to comprehend what he was going through and he wouldn't want them to anyways. It's a burden that is his and his alone to face. He didn't want them to worry about him nor going out of their way to die for him and he knew they would do it without hesitation too. He couldn't have asked for better friends but they deserve better than him being a burden to him.

He got up from the sofa in the Gryffindor common room and left the portrait hole. The free period he had was nice, but being a 6th year taking his N.E.W.T.S., he would rather prefer to take potions to replace his free period. He still didn't know what he wanted to do after Hogwarts, if he even survives that is, but it would be nice to have options. Unlike Ron who told Harry that he'd be catching up on sleep during the period, even if he always was the last one to get up in the morning in Gryffindor House. He let Ron sleep as he got a head start to his next class.

He walked down to the 3rd floor to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. The thoughts previously were still on his mind. Not to mention his sudden attraction to the only Weasley daughter. He didn't know if it was even attraction. He liked her sure, she's his best friend's sister. But does that mean he liked her as more of a friend? Or was he just desperate? Harry knew he would probably have a chance with her if she ever broke up with Dean Thomas, but does that mean he actually liked her? Or is it just a safe route for a girl for him after his horrendous affair with Cho.

All he wanted was a choice in life. A choice that he can make out of his own free will, without something or someone telling him how to live his own life. Was that too much to ask? Maybe for him it is. But he knew what he was. He's Harry Potter. Harry Potter never had and won't ever had a choice in life. People always had expectations for him even if a prophecy wasn't breathing a death sentence down his throat. People will always be making the choices for him whether he liked it or not. Until he turned the corner and bumped heads with the one that will change that.

Daphne and Harry both fell, holding their heads as Daphne's things fell out of her bag onto the floor. They both were too lost in thought to even notice each other before it was too late.

"Ouch…" As Daphne rubbed her head before opening her eyes and taking in the person she bumped into. It was a boy with messy black hair and piercing green eyes with glasses. Once she saw the Gryffindor robes and his scar, she instantly knew who she bumped into, "Oh! I'm so sorry!"

Harry was still holding his head in pain, "No it was my fault, I should've looked at where I was going." He looked up to the girl in question. Saying she was beautiful would be doing her a disservice. She was stunning for the lack of better words. She had long blond hair done with curls that went past her shoulders. Her ocean blue eyes looking straight into his, making him feel like she was looking directly into his soul. Her face was immaculate and he would be lying to himself if he didn't appreciate her other feminine parts. That was until he noticed her green robes with the snake insignia. He tensed as he noticed that this girl was from his rival house and he was expecting any second for a hex to be thrown his way. She hasn't done that yet but that may change very soon if he kept staring at her. The thing is, he couldn't keep his eyes off of her as he stared into her sparkling eyes.

Daphne was in a similar predicament. She would be lying to herself if she said she didn't have a little crush on Harry Potter. She didn't want to be considered a fan girl but she definitely was attracted to the boy who lived. It's hard for a girl not to be but she liked to think that she was different. It's not just because he was attractive, even if he is delicious in her eyes, but his Gryffindor nature of his was always endearing to her and it showed with the classes she had with him which she always secretly hoped she had more of.

They both couldn't get their eyes away from each other. Both were captivated by the other. It wasn't until Daphne couldn't take it anymore and looked down from him, blushing an adorable shade of pink on her face. Harry too blushed and looked away from her. Embarrassed that he would even think to do something like that to a Slytherin no less.

Daphne started to pick up her things. She was shocked to see that Harry decided to help as well. They picked up her belongings, occasionally brushing their hands with each other and eliciting another series of blushes between the two. Harry picked up the last book and was intrigued by the cover.

"Wait a minute, is this The Great Gatsby?"

Daphne looked up to him in surprise. She didn't expect Harry Potter to ask her a question much less be civil to her due to her being a so called: "slimy snake".

"Yeah," she responded to him as he gave the book to her. "I always liked muggle stories. They're always so interesting to me compared to the wizard novels. I'm big fan of J.R.R. Tolkien and some comics like Marvel and D.C.."

Harry's eyes lit up in fascination, "Wow, I can't believe you even know all of those. Much less read them and like them."

Daphne couldn't help but giggled at Harry's surprised demeanor as they both stood up, "Yeah, I guess I'm not your average pureblood am I, Potter?"

Harry laughed back, "No most certainly not. I'm sorry, I see that you know me but I don't know you Miss…,"

Daphne was a little hurt to hear that Harry didn't remember her from their classes but was eager to inform him otherwise as she held out her hand for him, "Greengrass, Daphne Greengrass."

Harry shook her hand with one hand while rubbing the back of his head with the other in embarrassment, "Oh Greengrass, I remember hearing your name in class but to be honest never really paid attention to you or seen you around. As a matter of fact, I don't even see you around Malfoy's lackeys."

Daphne snorted at the just the mention of the name, "Malfoy is just a stuck up ponce who thinks he can outsmart and outrank everyone because of his dad. No, believe it or not I hate the son of a bitch almost as much as you do Potter. And I have to admit, your little feuds with him were always amusing. And I usually keep to myself; it's probably why you never noticed me."

Harry was surprised at her use of language. It would be unbecoming of a pureblood witch he would think but Daphne Greengrass has surprised every him every moment she had the chance to. It's refreshing to say the least.

"Well you know the saying Greengrass, an enemy of my enemy is a friend. Anyone who hates Malfoy is a friend in my book." Harry said with a smile.

Daphne giggled again before giving him a small smile back. "I agree Potter; I guess we both have a mutual loathing."

Harry chuckled at her, "Most definitely. And please, just call me Harry."

Daphne beamed at him. Harry's heart picked up its pace as the happy look on her face made him smile involuntarily, "Then you must call me Daphne," she replied back to him.

They both smiled at each other. It was definitely not what they were both expecting when they both bumped to each other but they were nevertheless happy that it did.

"Well Harry, I think we have to go to class. I think it's best if we act like don't know each other so we don't get questioned by everyone. I'll go first so it doesn't look suspicious. It's nice meeting you Harry!" She said to him before turning towards the direction of the DADA room.

Harry agreed, however he didn't want to stop talking to her. He didn't know if he should ask but he definitely wanted to see her again. However, having a Cho incident again would break him in more ways than one. It hurt him before and internally debated if he should ask Daphne. He decided to take a leap of faith.

"Wait Daphne!"

She turned back to face him, with a questioning look on her face, "Yes Harry?"

His heart beat hard against his chest. Nervous isn't the word to describe what he's feeling at the moment. He was terrified of asking but nevertheless, with a shade of pink on his face he gathered up his courage, "I was wondering if we can see each other again? So we could get to know each other more?"

Daphne was shocked to say the least. She blushed her own shade of pink as she thought about what Harry just asked. She wanted to no end say yes to him. But at the same time she knew it was dangerous. If word gets out she associated herself with Harry, then she would be the target of every death eater and everyone in her house. Not to mention her parents would probably hand her to Voldemort on a silver platter. She looked at him in the eyes with a sad expression. Harry's heart dropped.

"I want to Harry, believe me I really want to. It's just…," Daphne couldn't find the words that she wanted to so desperately convey to Harry. She paused for a bit. Putting her finger under her chin to think of a solution. She looked back at Harry, "Yes Harry, I would love to meet up with you. If you can meet me in the library, I'll take us to a place where no one can interrupt us. Is that ok?" she finished with a hint of pleading and sadness in her voice.

Harry picked up on her tone and was confused for a split second before his eyes lighting up in excitement. A small giggle came from Daphne's lips at Harry's facial expression.

"Of course Daphne, that would be perfect!"

Daphne smiled back, "Thank you Harry! Come meet me there right after dinner and we can talk. I'll see you Harry!" she said before turning back to the direction of the DADA room.

Harry smiled at her. He noticed that he had been doing that a lot recently, "I'll see you Daphne!" he said back. He didn't mean to, but he couldn't help but stare at her feminine asset that was retreating away from him. He heard from Seamus and Dean about Daphne, even if he didn't really know who she was at the time, but he did recall them saying she had a bum to die for. He was happy to say they were definitely not wrong.

He waited for her to get far enough before he walked in the same direction, the thought of Voldemort and Ginny left forgotten in his mind as it was replaced with a beautiful blond.

As Harry sat down with his friends at the Gryffindor table, he started to pile his plate with as much food as he could physically fit on his plate and begin munching away happily. He received stares from both Ron and Hermione with amazement and disgust respectively.

"Harry, you alright mate?" Ron asked before piling his plate to an even bigger proportion than Harry's.

"Yeah Harry, you never eat this much before in such a short time. Are you alright?" Hermione asked with worry evident in her voice.

Harry looked from his plate at both of them and shrugged both of them off. "It's nothing guys. I'm just really hungry today."

Both of his friends looked at each other before shrugging it off as well, focusing on their meals as well. Harry and Ron competing with each other to get the most food to their bellies while Hermione pinched her nose at the sheer embarrassment of being associated with the two abominations.

"So Hermione, how was Slughorn?" Harry asked between mouthfuls with interest. He didn't particularly like the man but it's not really much hard to be better than Snape.

"He was, interesting to say the least. He was different from Professor Snape that's for sure. We learned about Amortentia the love potion and also brewed the Draught of Living Death."

"Well, it'll be hard to beat Snape in being Public Git Number. I rather take him then Snape for Defense, any day of the week. Hell I'd rather take a blast ended skrewt to the next ball." Ron replied back before decimating the plate before him that used to be his dinner as Hermione glared at him for his rudeness.

Harry nodded, agreeing with Ron as he finished his meal. He looked around the Great Hall before his gaze fell upon the Slytherin Table. His eyes met a certain blond haired girl as she was doing the same with him. She was having her dinner but she seemed to barely have anything on her plate as she nibbled at the almost nonexistent food on her plate. He noticed that she seemed out of it and noticed also the she was sitting alone, away from everyone else. She noticed him catching her eye before she gave him a small smile as he did the same, staring at those blue orbs that captivated him just a few moments ago in the hallway.

Hermione noticed his gaze, "Harry, what are you staring at?" she asked with extreme interest. Harry heard her before breaking his stare from Daphne and looking away with a blush evident on his face.

"It's nothing Hermione,"

He knew she wasn't convinced in the slightest as she followed his gaze towards the Slytherin table. Her eyes fell on Daphne Greengrass who was looking away with the same amount of blush that was on Harry's face. Then it clicked in her head as she looked back at Harry with accusing eyes.

"Harry," she hissed to him so no one else but the three of them could hear. "Were you staring at Daphne Greengrass?"

Ron dropped his utensil with a loud clatter. Harry's face got redder as Hermione's suspicions were confirmed.

"Mate, you're interested in Greengrass?" Ron asked incredulously. The color from his face disappeared in an instant.

Harry covered Ron's mouth with his hand in a moment's notice with the nearby classmates looking at them oddly before going back to their meals when they saw who it was making said commotion. Blushing a deeper shade of red, he tried to calm both of his friends, "Would you shut up? We're in the middle of the Great Hall. If you want to talk about it, at least let's get out of here.

Ron nodded slowly as he agreed with Harry as Hermione followed suit. They all finished their meals before leaving the Great Hall, the gaze of a certain girl following them as they went out.

Daphne sat down at the Slytherin Table alone as usual and began filling her plate with the usual amount of food she usually eats. She ate slowly, barely nibbling on the food that she grabbed as she was reminiscing about the earlier events. It felt nice to talk to someone without having to worry about it being used against you in the future. Harry was really nice to talk to and a gentleman so far. She felt, at ease when she made small talk with him.

She looked towards the Gryffindor table to see him stuffing his face to no end with the food that disappeared within mere seconds. She smiled inwardly at how adorable it looked when he ate. His face was a look of joy and contentment as he ate. To most, people would find that retching, but to her, she found it an endearing trait of his.

When he finished, his eyes looked up and searched until he found her gaze. When she noticed him looking back at her, she gave him a small smile, not trying to give away that she was openly staring at Harry Potter. Her heart skipped a beat when he smiled back at her.

Granger asked him something before he blushed and looked away. She wondered what it was until Granger looked at her direction. She looked away with godlike reflexes and blushed in embarrassment that she was caught. She went back to her food.

After finishing, she looked back up in time to see the trio get up and leave the Great Hall. She sighed as she dreaded her conversation that she would have later with Harry. She left the Slytherin table and made her way to the library to wait for Harry.

The trio went to a secluded classroom after leaving the Great Hall. Ron looked tensed. This is one of the rare times Ron wasn't joking around, being fully aware about the situation at hand. Hermione on the other hand was concerned as it was evident on her face with reasons unknown to Harry.

"Wait Harry, you're interested in Greengrass?" Ron asked as Hermione began putting up privacy charms in order for them to not be overheard by undesirables.

Harry sighed at the question. He didn't really know to be quite honest. She was definitely attractive but was that everything? She is a beautiful girl, hell she's practically a goddess in his eyes. But does that mean he is attracted to her? Her looks definitely, but her herself? He didn't have a straight answer yet. Especially with what happen after he "asked her out" if you could even call it that.

"I don't know Ron. I mean we met in the hallway before DADA when we bumped into each other. She wasn't hostile to me, actually quite the opposite. She seemed friendly, at least from what I saw."

Ron thought about this carefully before Hermione cut in, "Harry, I don't know Greengrass too well. She usually keeps to herself as I have seen so I can't really tell you how to go about it but please be careful in how you handle it. You don't want her to break your heart or you breaking hers. Not to mention the gossip that'll go around between the two for you. I know you hate that."

Harry sighed, she was right. It was a huge risk in pursuing even a friendship with Daphne. He didn't even think there was a working relationship between a Gryffindor and Slytherin in their school years. They're just two completely different personalities. It's hard for both of them to get along, let alone have a civil conversation. But, with the conversation they had in the hallway, he really wanted to make it work.

Ron decided at that moment to break him away from his deep thought, "Harry, I care about you when I say this, but please watch out for Greengrass. In my opinion, I don't think we can trust her."

Harry pinched his nose. He knew Ron was going to act like this. With his bias of Slytherin's, even if it is well placed, he won't accept Daphne just like that.

"Let me guess Ron, it's because she's a Slytherin right?"

Ron tensed again, "Not only that Harry, even if it is a reason why I don't trust her, but her parents were Death Eaters in the first war with You-Know-Who. I don't know for sure this time but there's a likely chance they at least support You-Know-Who now."

Harry's went from irritated to surprise, he didn't know Ron kept tabs on the Greengrasses. "Wait Ron, how did you know they worked for Voldemort?"

Ron shrugged his shoulders, "Even though my parents don't follow all the pureblood traditions, it's still expected of us to follow courtesy rules and knowing all of the other pureblood families since there are so few of us. I heard the name Greengrass as well as Nott, Malfoy, Goyle, and Crabbe as a few of the Death Eaters that was in the first war from my parents. Mostly from mum telling me to not touch them with a 10-foot pole." Ron grimaced, wanting to choose his words carefully, else a pissed off Harry will come out, "I think it's great for you to find someone else you're interested mate, especially after Cho but all I'm saying it's hard to completely trust her with that in mind. For all we know, she could just be nice to gain your trust before you're handed like a wrapped Christmas present for You-Know-Who."

Ron did have his rare moments of insightfulness; this can be considered as one of those moments. He did make a point. If her parents were Death Eaters, all Daphne had to do was gain his trust and she could deliver him to Voldemort on a silver platter. With her family and her reaping the rewards of giving him to Voldemort.

He didn't want to make concise conclusions yet. Especially when he didn't even know anything about Daphne Greengrass yet. She was friendly, but as Ron suggested, she could be manipulating him. At the same time however, he can't really assume anything with Daphne. She was very interesting to him, in more way than one.

"What else do you know about the Greengrasses Ron?" Harry asked with piqued interest.

"Not much really. All I know is that they are a pureblood family of 4. Greengrass has a little sister as I remember. She's a year younger than us and Slytherin to boot. Know about her as much as I know Daphne Greengrass which means nothing. Just that they're parents were Death Eaters in the first war."

Harry took this new information in. Daphne had a sister? If she was in Slytherin with her sister, why didn't they interact? Why was Daphne sitting alone them? So many question went through his head that made him even more interested in the mysterious Daphne Greengrass. Even if her parents are Death Eaters, she might not agree with them considering she had that muggle book. But he can't make assumptions with her just yet.

"Ron, I appreciate you worrying about me, but I can take care of myself. I want to get to know Daphne more before I make a decision about her and her intentions. In fact, I'm about to go talk to her now in the library. She has a spot that no one else knows about and we can talk uninterrupted."

Ron looked livid, "Are you insane Harry?! Going with Greengrass alone? What if she does something to you and we don't know about it? We can't help you if you go alone."

"You both still have your DA coins right?" They both nodded, "Then I'll call you guys with those if something happens. Even if something happens, Kreacher and Dobby can pull me out of a tight situation if need be."

Ron looked like he was going to argue his point before relenting. Hermione didn't necessarily agree with using House Elves but agreed it was a sound plan nevertheless.

"So Hermione, what do you think?" Harry asked her. With her being unusually quiet about the situation, it made Harry worry about what she was thinking.

"I don't know Harry." Hermione said while shaking her head. "I want to believe that you can give her a chance, but at the same time Ron makes a good point. If her parents are supporters of Voldemort, it'll be hard to trust her not to anything bad against you."

Harry as much as he wanted to disagree with them, he couldn't argue that they could be right about it. With the war looming its head around the corner, it's been harder to trust people. Especially since he's on every Death Eaters' hit list.

"I know. I know it could be dangerous guys, but I want to give her a chance. She's been very civil with me so far and doesn't look like she has ill intentions for now. I want to at least get to know her before I even considering going past being just friends with her. Can you guys at least give her a chance?" He asked them with a pleading voice and.

They both hesitated before looking at each other. They had a silent agreement with each other before looking back at Harry and gave him a reluctant consent. He breathed a sigh of relief. He was glad that his friends were more accepting of this than he thought. Ron especially would be more close minded about the subject but was surprisingly more open minded this time around.

Harry went up and hugged the both of them. He noticed them tense up a bit before embracing him back. He realized that he didn't give out too many hugs to his friends. He made a mental note to do that more often.

"Thanks guys, I can't ask for better friends." He said before letting both of them go to see both of them having smiles on their faces.

"Now if you'll both excuse me; I have to talk to Daphne." With that said, he left the classroom with a huge smile on his face that didn't go unnoticed by his two friends, leaving both Ron and Hermione with their thoughts.

"He's growing up, isn't he?" Hermione inquired before Ron nodding his head gently.

"Yeah, definitely. If this works out, he deserves it, especially after with what happen with Cho."

Hermione looked over at Ron, "I'm surprised you didn't want him to go with Ginny."

Ron chuckled before shaking his head slowly, "Nah, I know between the two it wouldn't work out anyways. Plus, I don't think sis really got out of her fan girl Potter phase yet. I think we can all agree it wouldn't be a good relationship and Harry is as good as family even if he didn't go out with Ginny. Besides, you know how weird that be? Your best friend and sister shagging behind the bushes?" he shuddered at the thought with disdain and Hermione giggled at his reaction.

"Ha, you're right. I just hope it works out. He definitely deserves some love even we can't give in his life." She remarked as a small smile was still plastered on her face. "I appreciate how mature you've become Ron. Just last year you would be going hell and back telling Harry how bad an idea this is."

Ron looked at her for a moment. He looked away from her and sighed, "After the Department of Mysteries, I learned to fear my life a bit more. That really was my first experience dealing with Death Eaters, and how they can easily take my life away without batting an eye. I learned then and there that life can be short and I should live it as much as I can the way I want it. It'd be more hypocritical of me to let myself do that and not let Harry do it as well." Ron looked back at Hermione with a determined look. "That's why I let Harry do what he wants there. If he needs me or if Greengrass does something unpleasant to him, I'll be there. Otherwise, I'll let him do what he wants. It also makes him happier to know that we support him rather than us breathing down his throat."

Hermione was shell-shocked at Ron's revelation. To think Ronald Weasley would be educating her on something. She gave it some thought before looking at Ron and smiled.

"Well well Ronald, I guess you taught me something about how to deal with Harry. Who would've thought?" she said before sticking her tongue at him in a teasing way.

"Hey, I can be smart on some things!" Ron retorted back with a blush evident on his face.

"I never said you weren't Ronald. Come on, we got to get started on that Transfiguration homework. And no Ronald, I am not going to write your essay for you." She remarked as she walked toward the Gryffindor tower. Ron dipped his head in agony and letting out a groan before following her lead.

A/N: I hoped you guys enjoyed! I don't know when the next update will be and I won't make any false promises so I hope you guys don't get your expectations too high with an update. Thank you everyone and please R&R!