Disclaimer: Do I have to? For every chapter? Alright, Harry Potter universe is not mine, but all the unrecognizable characters and the plot is.

"Ron, are you going to say something?" Hermione asked, fuming.

"No." Ron answered, sounding bored as he droned over his charms homework.

"Fred and George are testing their products on first years and you are just going to sit there and do nothing?" Hermione asked him coolly, her eyes blazing.

"I'm done!" Rose quipped, putting aside her charms homework and stretching her arms.

"Hoooooow." Ron groaned, his forehead on his parchment. "You started like five minutes ago."

"Two hours, buddy. We've been at it for two hours." Harry said, finishing up his work.

"Why have I written just two lines?" He asked, sounding outraged.

"You fell asleep for like an hour and a half!" Hermione snapped, having finished her work days ago. "Now get up and make yourself useful!"

"Do you really think they'd listen to me?" he asked, sounding frustrated. "Other than losing my dignity in front of the common room, there's not much I can do."

"You are a prefect!" Hermione exclaimed.

"So are you!" Ron replied, getting back to his essay. "Scare them with a detention or something."

"Scare them." Hermione said thoughtfully and then smiled. "You did make yourself useful. Thanks Ron!" she said and headed straight towards the twins.

Ron sighed.

"This is too much." Ron said, leaning back in his chair.

"I know." Rose said. "The kids can really get some permanent damage and they both could be expelled-"

"No, not that." Ron groaned. "The homework! There's so much of it, we need at least another year to complete all of that. And look at this—" he hissed, pulling out his DADA essay—"at least this used to be better, but now that toad is making us write the 'principles of responsible use of magic'! What are we, ten?!"

"You wouldn't!" The three of them heard horrified gasps of the twins as Hermione walked victoriously towards them.

"What did you threaten them with?" Harry asked, watching Fred and George sending all the first years away.

"I told them I'll write Mrs. Weasely." Hermione replied proudly, taking her seat.

"Ooh pulling out the big cards, Hermione." Rose said, chuckling.

Hermione rolled her eyes.

"It worked just fine." She replied and began reading her books.

It had been a week since they had been assigned the potion. Professors had been shooting homework ruthlessly at them. It was almost like they had a bet on who assigned the most homework; Snape was in the lead. The surprising part was that Hermione was having trouble making time for her extra reading; Hermione never had trouble managing time. Every single student from the fifth year to seventh was constantly seen with books or notes or spare parchments, either stressing over the work, or working or sleeping, which was quite understandable given how tired they were.

Harry stretched and checked the time. He looked around the common room to see others packing up.

"Anybody hungry?" he asked.

"Me." Ron replied immediately, closing his book and rolling his parchment. Hermione shot him a sharp look.

"I'll get back at it tomorrow." He said firmly.

"It's due Monday!" she said.

"And that's not tomorrow!" Ron said, quickly getting up. "Let's go, please."

Hermione rolled her eyes.

"As if he'd study on a weekend." Hermione muttered, closing her book.

They all made their way over to Great Hall discussing about the upcoming tests and homework.

"When's potions due?" Harry asked.

"First thing Tuesday." Hermione replied.

Potions. Slytherin. Daphne.

"Shit!" Rose exclaimed, cursing herself. She stopped in her tracks.

"You guys go on, I'll catch up with you in a while!" she said, jogging back the way they came.

"Where're you going?" Harry asked.

"Girls bathroom. Someone's waiting for me." She said and ran off. She hurried through the crowd towards the staircase. The crowd thinned as she walked further away from the great hall. She reached the bathroom and walked inside to see Daphne waiting inside.

"Hey!" she said, walking towards her.

"You're late." Daphne said, fidgeting.

"Yeah, sorry, I almost forgot." Rose replied, studying her friend. "You look tense."

"Remember I told you that I talked to 'the guy' and then didn't tell you what we talked about or who he is?" Daphne said nervously.

"Vividly." Rose drawled.

"Wait, are you gonna tell me what you talked about?" Rose asked, excited.

"No," Daphne replied slowly. "I've decided to tell you who he is."

Rose stared at her friend open mouthed.

"I'm going to get a name?" she whispered, as if mesmerized.

"Yes." Daphne confirmed, albeit a little hesitantly.

"Wh- okay, let me just-" Rose took a deep breath. "prepare myself-"

"Rose."

"Wow—you are not playing a prank on me, are you because—"

"Rose."

"Right, sorry. Please, do tell." Rose said, slightly breathless.

Daphne sighed.

"Alright don't make me regret—" just then they heard a loud thud on the wall.

"What was that?" Daphne asked, tensed.

"I'm sure it's—" Rose started but stopped midway after feeling a familiar magical signature.

"What?" Daphne asked her.

Rose groaned.

"Malfoy has the worst timing ever." She said, scowling.

"What's Malfoy doing here?" Daphne whispered, as they slowly walked towards the entrance of the bathroom.

"Why are we even worried about that!" Rose hissed. "He's probably having his face eaten by Davis again."

"He could be spying on us!" Daphne hissed back.

"That's pretty loud spying." Rose muttered. After getting close enough they began hearing another voice along with Malfoy's.

"There's someone else." Daphne whispered.

"Yes. Davis." Rose said, rolling her eyes.

"They're definitely not making out, and Davis isn't the type to have a conversation in an empty corridor." Daphne said.

"True." Rose agreed.

They pressed closer to the entrance and could hear the whispers clearly. Rose concentrated on their signatures, both were bordering on worried and angry, correction, very worried and slightly angry.

"...can't go spewing shit like that around Crabbe! He's got the biggest fucking mouth and you know it!" Malfoy whispered angrily.

"I wasn't thinking, okay!" the other person whispered back, sounding afraid. "I got the letter today, Draco, I don't know what—"

"Theodore!" Daphne recognised. "Theodore Nott."

"It's not true." Malfoy said, sounding tense. "Our fathers would never let that happen."

"Do you think He'd listen!?" Now Nott sounded angry. "They can't do shit Draco! If he wants us to, it's either agree or die. We're fucked...we're fu—"

Daphne and Rose shared look, shocked.

"Don't ." Malfoy hissed. "Don't say that. To me or to anyone else." There was another thud. "We're not fucked, you hear me? We are not FUCKED. Your man is wrong!"

Nott chuckled darkly.

"My man knew He was back before Potter did; I didn't believe him then. I want him to be wrong now Draco, fuck me, I want you to be right!"

There was silence. Daphne and Rose stared at the floor in shock, understanding who they meant by 'he'. Rose felt a shiver go down her spine, her mind flooding with images of Cedric's dead body and Harry, broken with cuts all over his body, crying over him.

"Two years, Malfoy." Nott muttered. "And that's the longest. Enjoy your freedom till then."

With that, they heard a pair of footsteps receding and then silence.

"FUCK!"Malfoy swore loud, startling both Rose and Daphne, and then he left too.

"What the hell was that..." Daphne whispered, although there was no need to.

"I really wish we hadn't eavesdropped." Rose said.

"We should go." Daphne said. "Are you going to tell Potter?"

"Yes." Rose said shakily.

"Are you okay?" Daphne asked, concerned.

"Just hungry." She said. "Let's go."

"You go first." Daphne said. "Are you sure you're fine after hearing that terrifying conversation?"

Rose chuckled.

"I'm fine. You?" she asked.

"Never better." Daphne said and gestured Rose towards the exit.

"I haven't forgotten about the thing we were discussing earlier." Rose said, smirking. "But I think we both need to be in different states of mind for that."

Daphne chuckled breathily.

"Yes, of course. Right. Off you go!" she said.

Rose rolled her eyes and quickly walked towards the great hall.

'we are fucked' kept echoing in her head so much, she thought it would burst. What did that mean? What would their fathers protect them from? Agree to do what? And more importantly, who was Nott's 'man'? How did he know Voldemort was back before Harry did? All these questions kept swimming in her head and she didn't even realise she was halfway through the Great Hall. She quickly spotted Harry, Ron and Hermione and went over to them and took her seat beside Harry.

"Took you long enough." Harry said.

"I need to tell you something." Rose whispered quickly. The four of them immediately put their heads together and she filled them in with what she and Daphne heard.

"'He'—" Ron gulped.

"Voldemort." Harry whispered back slowly.

"What is he going to do to them?" Hermione whispered.

There was about a minute long silence as they all processed what they'd just heard.

"We can get all of those answers if we find—" Harry started.

"Nott's man." Rose ended.

"The only people who could know about Voldemort coming back were death eaters. Why would a death eater be passing on such crucial information to a teenager!" Hermione said, pretending to eat.

Rose looked over at the Slytherin table to see Daphne take her seat beside Astoria. Daphne looked at her with the slightest raise in her eyebrow. Rose nodded, confirming that she'd told her friends what they had heard. With that, they both looked away. Her eyes roamed down the Slytherin table and there he was, sitting a few seats away from Daphne, Theodore Nott. He had a deep frown on his face and was barely eating anything. Rose concentrated solely on him, pushing all other thoughts and noises out of her head and she found him. His signature although unique, felt like everyone else's; it didn't make her feel anything and a small, distant part of her felt relieved. She closed her eyes, weaving her way into his conscious, finding strings of emotions tangled together. She finally reached him: angry and void of hope. Rose felt a slight drop in her stomach. He wasn't even scared, which would have been so much better than having no hope at all. Whatever Voldemort had planned for them somehow seemed like the end of the world to him.

"Where's Malfoy?" Harry's voice jolted her out of her state.

"Not here." Ron muttered, looking around.

Malfoy was nowhere to be seen in the Great Hall. Rose looked at Daphne who was already looking at her and raised her eyebrows; Daphne shook her head in answer, she didn't know where Malfoy was either. Astoria looked up from her plate and smiled slightly at her. Rose smiled back and winked.

"Doesn't matter. He'll have to be at the old equipment room for the potion." Rose said, going back to her food. "Plus, he won't give us anything. We need to find Nott's guy."

"What's to say he'll give us anything." Harry said, looking worried.

"He probably won't. Willingly." Hermione said quietly. "But if we have his name, I suppose he'll give us whatever we want, unless he's ready to deal with his own people."

"So all we need to do is find out who he is?" Ron asked.

"For now, yes. But it won't be easy." Hermione said.

"If we could get our hands on one of their letters—" Ron suggested.

"That's actually great but still pretty difficult. What's to know he doesn't burn those letters after reading them. There are so many variables—" Hermione said.

"Aren't the letters being intercepted by the ministry?" Harry asked. "How the hell is that guy writing Nott without attracting attention?"

"Not all letters, Harry." Rose said gravely. "They are looking in our letters thoroughly and sweeping others letters under their eyes once, except the Slytherins's. If the families of the Slytherins came to know that their children's letters are being intercepted, they won't be very happy; and if the rich and famous aren't happy, it would be a lot of trouble for the ministry."

Ron and Harry scowled.

"Fucking losers." Ron muttered angrily.

"Besides all of that, I don't think they'd be stupid enough to write all that information openly. They must be communicating in code." Hermione said.

"You think he'll write again anytime soon?" Ron asked, finishing up the last of his desert.

"We don't know." Hermione said, not disheartened. "But we could try to get the one Nott's got." She looked at Rose. "Didn't you say he got the letter today?"

Rose nodded.

"So he probably still has it on him?" Hermione suggested.

"But like you said, he's probably destroyed it already." Harry said.

"Then let's know for sure." Ron said quickly. "We've got know what it says!"

"It's worth a try." Rose said, looking at her friends nervously.

"Rose." Harry said, turning hesitantly towards his sister. "I know you won't like this, but it would be so much easier if Daphne helped-"

Rose groaned.

"I know!" Rose said. "But if she gets caught—"

"She won't." Harry said firmly. "She's smart. She knows how to improvise if it comes to that."

Rose frowned.

"How do you know that?" She asked.

"You must have told me." He said, looking confused himself. "It doesn't matter. I'm not wrong though, am I?"

"No..." Rose said hesitantly.

"Why don't you ask her Harry?" Hermione added quickly. "You are going to see her now."

"Just ask her if she'll be willing to help." Ron said. "Rose, do you have the map?"

"I do." She replied.

"We've got to act fast, because if he hasn't destroyed the letter yet, he might soon. We need to get it before he does." Ron said. "Rose, stay in the equipment room after Malfoy leaves. We'll all meet you there after ten; hopefully, Daphne will be with you." Ron said, looking at Harry.

Harry nodded.

"Alright then, that settles it. Hermione?" he said, looking at her.

"I'll be there. We have fifteen minutes after ten to get back in our common rooms, I'll make it there by then." She said, determined.

"Good." Ron.

"We are getting that letter, one way or another." Harry said firmly.

"Should we tell Dumbledore?" Rose asked.

"I don't think he'll be interested to know." Harry said coldly.

"Harry—" Rose started.

"Let's see what we can do before we go running to him." He said firmly.

Rose sighed in surrender.

"Fine." She said.

"Alright, let's go then." Hermione said, getting up. "It's almost nine."

Rose, Harry, Hermione and Ron walked out of the great hall.

"See you guys later!"Rose said and with that they all went their way.

Rose walked towards the old equipment room with quick steps. She was eager to finish earlier than usual so that they could have the room as soon as possible. She opened the door and closed it behind her, completely ignorant of another magical signature, which never happened.

"You're early." Rose almost jumped a foot high in the air.

"Malfoy!" She exclaimed, her hand raking through her hair. "Don't fucking do that!"

"At least look up when you enter a room." He said, smirking. Getting down from the window sill, he walked towards the potion sitting in the middle of the room.

"You set that up." Rose said, surprised.

"Yes, and now you're going to do the rest of the work while I supervise." He drawled.

Rose rolled her eyes.

"How'd you get here so early?" she asked, not looking at him. "Did you inhale your food?"

He watched her a moment as she cut up the ingredients they required.

"I skipped dinner; asked a house elf to bring me some food up here." He replied nonchalantly.

"Why'd you skip dinner?" she asked, still not looking up.

"You care because?" He drawled.

"I don't. Just making conversation." She replied, looking at him innocently.

"Don't. It's annoying." He said, and sat down opposite her.

Rose just sighed in disdain.

"What do we have to do next?" She asked him.

Malfoy raised his brows.

"You're asking me?" he said, sounding slightly surprised.

"You see anyone else in the room?" she asked coolly.

Malfoy scoffed.

"Since when did you start asking?" he said suspiciously.

"Since I didn't read today's notes." She admitted slowly.

Malfoy grinned.

"Really now?" he drawled. "I'm going to have to report this to Snape."

"You go ahead and do that after we're done with this." She said, looking at him impatiently.

"You're not scared of him." He said, studying her.

"Yes, and?" she said, getting more impatient by the second.

"Everyone is." He replied.

"What is your point?" she snapped.

"Why aren't you scared of him?" he asked, as if purposefully wasting time.

"Why should I be? And also, why aren't you?" she asked, hoping that a personal question would bring him back on track.

"He's my Godfather." He bragged. Rose groaned mentally.

"Cute, now can we please focus on the task?"

"You are in a hurry today." He observed.

"You think?" she asked, sarcastically.

"Why?" he asked.

"Well let me see—uh, none of your business." She replied, glaring at him.

"We can finish up fifteen minutes before time, but since you're being stubborn—" he said, smirking.

"Why do you even want to know?" she snapped.

"I don't have to give you a reason." He said, tilting his head slightly.

"You know what, let's wait." She said, smiling tightly at him.

Malfoy just shrugged and sat with legs spread wide, smirking at her. Rose glared at him and sat quietly with her legs folded. She sat in silence for about a minute, fidgeting as Malfoy smiled evilly at her, before she gave in.

"Alright, fine." She sighed. "I'll tell you." She thought for a few seconds; the lie has to be awkward enough to be believable. She smiled in her head.

"Predictable." He said sitting up straighter, smirking.

"I—I'm meeting up with someone." She said, trying not to let her smirk show.

Malfoy tilted his head back.

"With who?" he said, a little forcefully.

Rose frowned. Why did he sound different?

"I'm not going to tell you that!" she said.

"Well it doesn't sound that urgent anyway." He said, slouching back.

"Why the hell do you care?" she said, frustrated.

"I don't." He snapped. Taking a deep breath, he looked at her piercingly. "I just don't think it's that urgent. I want to rest for a while."

"Don't you want to leave as early as possible?" she asked insistently. "I mean you hate me! You couldn't possibly want to be in my company any longer than necessary."

"True." He said, smirking at her mockingly. "But I like vexing you more than I hate you."

"Yes, very mature, Malfoy." She snapped, folding her arms over her chest.

They sat in silence for about a minute or two before Rose spoke again.

"If I tell you his name," she started, "will you start working on the potion that very second and promise to complete early?" she asked.

Malfoy contemplated the offer.

"Fine." He drawled.

Rose sighed, as she dug up any name that could sound convincing.

"Dean." She said, gulping. "Dean Thomas."

Malfoy smiled at her maliciously; but it didn't look like he was able to quite pull it off, it looked forced.

"How convenient." He drawled. "Mudblood and Mudblood together." He bit out. Rose fisted her hands, forcing herself to say nothing. "You two will look disgusting together, just the way it should be."

"Are you done?" she asked him coolly. He looked slightly surprised at her reaction. "I really need to get going. There is someone else's company I prefer above yours, even if it's not the same for you."

Malfoy scoffed.

"I would love to never see you again." He snapped, instantly getting back to work.

Rose took a deep breath in, trying not to let her victory show. They worked in silence for the rest of the time, only speaking when absolutely necessary. Rose didn't feel very great about it, after the progress they had made over the week; but she knew she was not at fault. He could very easily just never asked her anything and they wouldn't be here. It was not her fault that he was a nosy little git who loved to make everyone else's business his own. After about forty five minutes of work, they were done. Malfoy immediately got up, so did she. He went towards the door and looked back at her.

"It has to sit for another fifteen minutes." He said, smirking at her. "Turn the stove off before you leave."

Rose pretended to look angry as with one last look, he shut the door with a loud bang.

"Malfoy!" she shouted for extra effect and the footsteps faded.

"Well that worked." She muttered to herself. "I mean it sort of backfired but it worked."

She still didn't feel great about fighting with him, but she did what she had to do. She decided she had more important matters on hand, like the letter and the potion, so she should concentrate on them instead of a lost cause. So, she decided to just sit and wait for everyone else to get there and wallow in the slight empty feeling she had in her chest, which probably had a lot to do with Malfoy.

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Harry opened the door to the classroom and got inside, dropping his satchel on the floor. He sighed and quickly got to work, setting up the stove and cauldron and placing the knives in order. He took out all the ingredients needed and cleaned them, which he almost never did. He had almost begun chopping when the classroom door opened and Daphne entered, looking slightly surprised and amused.

"I thought it was a partnered assignment." She said, eyebrows slightly raised. "But don't let me stop you."

"I got in early." He said, shrugging.

"Yes, I saw you all leave early." Daphne said, gracefully sitting beside him. "Rose told you about what we heard, I suppose."

"She did." Harry replied gravely. "Actually about that—" he said, looking at her "—we need your help."

"What kind?" Daphne asked carefully.

"The 'invading someone's privacy' kind." Harry replied impassively.

"You need me to get the letter." Daphne said, not sounding surprised.

Harry nodded.

"He must have destroyed it. Nott's not an idiot." Daphne said.

"Sometimes the things that scare you latch themselves to you. Just consider that he hasn't." Harry insisted. "Will you help us confirm our suspicions?"

Daphne remained quiet.

"I wouldn't have asked this of you if there was any other easier or quicker way." Harry said, looking at her with pleading eyes. "I don't want to drag you in it—"

"I got dragged in it the second I heard their conversation." Daphne said, looking him right in the eyes.

"So, will you—"

"I will." Daphne confirmed.

"Thank you!" Harry said, giving her hand a light squeeze, completely missing goose bumps rising on her arm and the redness on her cheeks. He smiled at her and got back to work and Daphne joined him, looking slightly shaken.

"Don't worry." Harry said, thinking she was nervous about what she had would have to do. "You won't get caught. If there's anyone who can pull this off effortlessly, it's you."

Daphne smirked slightly.

"No need to grease me up, Potter." She said. "I'm already convinced."

Harry chuckled.

"Really though," he said, chopping a flobberworm, "I haven't met a lot of people as smart as you." He continued carefully chopping; again, missing her smile and the look of complete adoration Daphne was watching him with.

"Thank you." She replied cordially. Harry threw her quick smile and they both worked in coordination for the next hour, talking and laughing in between, actually enjoying each other's company. 'Who would have thought' Harry thought, smiling slightly as Daphne stirred the potion anti clockwise. Soon, they were ready to leave.

"Alright, let's go." Harry said, turning off the stove.

"Potter, this is really important to you, isn't it?" she asked, walking towards him as he opened the door.

Harry hesitated.

"Yeah." He answered hesitantly.

"I'll try my best to get the letter." Daphne said. "but if it's not there, if it has been destroyed, you have to be ready to be disappointed too."

Harry nodded.

"I am." He assured her. "I just hope it's still intact and you can get it."

"I will try my best." She said, trying to sound impassive.

"Hey," Harry said, "no pressure."

"You're telling me that now." She said, glaring at him mockingly.

Harry grinned.

"Let's go." He said, and closed the door as they discreetly walked towards the old equipment room of the astronomy tower.

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Rose, Harry and Daphne waited for Ron and Hermione in the old equipment room, and almost jumped when the door opened and the two of them walked in.

"Hey!" Hermione said, hurrying inside. "I'm sorry we are late! Filch almost caught us."

"It's alright." Harry said. "Let's just get started."

"Before we do," Rose said, glaring at her brother, "Daphne, Ron and Hermione: Guys, Daphne." She introduced them

"Hey." Ron said awkwardly. Daphne smiled at him.

"Hi." Hermione said. "We are really glad you agreed."

"I'm glad I can be of help." Daphne replied softly.

"Great!" Rose exclaimed. "Shoot then!"

"Alright then first, where could he have kept it?" Harry asked, looking at Daphne.

"He wouldn't just leave the letter around in his dormitory." Daphne said. "He wouldn't risk somebody getting their hands on it especially with roommates like Crabbe and Goyle." She grimaced.

"So if he has it, then it must be on him." Rose said.

"His bag." Hermione said.

"His trousers." Harry and Ron said in unison.

"His robes." Rose said.

"When he was at dinner, he was still in his uniform."Daphne said. "No robes, but he had his bag."

"So trousers or bag?" Rose confirmed.

"Most likely." Daphne said. "But it's still a guess."

"So that's where we start." Harry said. "The first two places to look."

"If we don't find it there?" Ron asked.

"Then I'll check his room." Daphne replied coolly.

"No!" Rose protested. "You will get caught."

"Maybe." Daphne said. "If I do, then I will improvise."

"Daphne, you don't have to go that far." Harry said.

"I do." She said. "We all know who this is about and what he can do." She paused. "I know none of you are particularly fond of Malfoy and Nott, but I've never seen them that rattled. Whatever he has planned for them must be terrible; after four years of knowing them so closely, I can assure you they won't come to us or anyone else for help, whether it's because of their pride or fear of family, doesn't mean they don't deserve the help."

They all remained silent, a little moved by Daphne's speech.

"So you believe Harry?" Hermione asked slowly.

Daphne looked at Harry and he looked back at her, almost challengingly.

"I do." She replied softly. Harry's face broke into a smile. Rose watched the exchange carefully, sensing a change in the air. Harry looked thankful, just genuinely thankful, but Daphne's energy felt different. Rose frowned, wondering how she had never noticed it before. 'Maybe because it hasn't happened before' she wondered. 'Not now' she thought to herself, trying to focus on the task at hand.

"Daph?" Rose called. Daphne looked at her. "You ready?"

"I am." She replied confidently.

"Okay." Rose said. "This whole thing depends on how well you handle a situation. I know you're good at this, but you have to be careful. Don't depend on any variables, aim straight; search him and his bag, if you don't find anything in it, you have to somehow get in their room and look in his belongings. I have absolutely no idea how you're going to manage that but I trust you and I know you're fucking smart—" Daphne grimaced "—so figure that out and get the letter, if he still has it, and get the fuck out of there. Oh my God, this plan is batshit crazy maybe we shouldn't ask her to do this. If your family finds out you were sneaking around in boys dormitory—"

"Rose." Daphne said loudly. "Stop. You said you trust me, right?" Rose nodded reluctantly. "Then trust me to take care of myself. I'm a not a Gryffindor to 'sacrifice' myself and get the letter." She said, smirking.

Ron snorted.

"Okay." Rose said unwillingly. "You know the risks Daph..."

"I do." She replied.

Rose sighed.

"Fine then." Rose said. "I hope you're lucky."

Daphne smirked.

"You underestimate me." She said.

Rose rolled her eyes.

Harry, Ron and Hermione watched the exchange happen, eyes flying from Rose to Daphne. They hadn't really seen Daphne and Rose converse; it was almost like they were expecting to see something unusual, having known no instance of a Slytherin-Gryffindor friendship; but it was just two friends who genuinely cared about each other, just like they did.

"Okay," Harry started. "Then let's do it."

They all got up, looking slightly nervous.

"You ready?" He asked Daphne.

"Perfectly." She replied. "Do not worry. I will be fine."

Harry nodded.

"We know you can totally do this." Hermione all but shouted, making Daphne smirk.

"Good luck." Ron muttered, smiling tightly at her.

"Thank you." Daphne replied civilly.

"Alright, let's get you to your common room." Rose said, pulling out the marauder's map.

"Rose, how about you let Harry take her?" Hermione suggested carefully.

"What?" Harry responded, missing Daphne's blush.

"Why?" Rose said.

"You'll just, you know—" Hermione looked at Ron, begging him to help her.

"You'll stress her the fuck out." Ron simply said.

"I will not!" Rose protested. She turned to Daphne. "Do you think I will stress you out?"

"Of course I don't." Daphne said, smiling. "I will not be stressed out by you if you stay completely silent throughout the way and don't fidget."

Rose gaped at her.

"Traitor." She whispered.

"It's settled then." Hermione said. "Harry, you can escort Daphne."

"Uh, okay." Harry replied and looked at Daphne. "You okay with that?"

"It's just a few minutes' walk; I'm sure we'll make it." Daphne replied.

Rose gave Daphne an odd look. Daphne would never even stand with someone for a minute if she wasn't comfortable with them, unless it was business. To think that Daphne felt at ease around Harry just within a week was something Rose never thought was possible. She still felt like there was something else at play; something she couldn't quite see. Daphne was definitely hiding something from her and Rose was determined to find out what.

"Okay, then," Rose replied sullenly, "Off you go."

Daphne smiled at her knowingly; she knew Rose was just pretending to hurt.

"I solemnly swear I am up to no good." Harry muttered, pointing his wand at the map. He carefully looked all over it and nodded.

"Okay, we are good to go." He said and gestured for Daphne come along and they both were gone.

"What do you think?" Rose asked Ron and Hermione as soon as Harry and Daphne left.

"About what?" Hermione asked.

"Daphne." Rose said.

Hermione and Ron shared a look.

"She's cool." Ron replied.

"Just cool?" Rose asked, wiggling her eyebrows.

"She can be nice." Hermione said.

"Sweet and diplomatic, nicely put." Rose said, giving Hermione a side hug.

"Does anybody feel the vibe between Harry and Daphne?" Ron asked, as they too began to leave.

"What vibe?" Hermione asked.

"The 'sexual tension' vibe." Ron said, grinning.

"Come on man!" Rose said, grimacing.

"What? It was right there!"

"Stop talking!"

Daphne and Harry stopped at the final turn towards the Slytherin common room.

"This is you." Harry said, looking slightly nervous.

"It is." Daphne replied, looking completely at ease.

"You look great—I mean, you look like you've done this like a hundred times before." Harry said, with a nervous chuckle.

Daphne smirked.

"Maybe I have." She replied casually.

Harry's eyes widened.

"You-you have?" he stuttered.

"I'll see you tomorrow P—Harry." She said, smiling.

Harry chuckled.

"Goodnight Daphne." He said and she turned the corner and left.

Harry swept a hand through his hair and left, smiling to himself.

Daphne's heart was drumming inside her chest throughout the way, whenever his hand accidently brushed against hers, or when he put his hand through his hair or smiled; the slightest movement from Harry Potter had Daphne's knees buckling. She bit her lip, stopping herself from grinning foolishly. Being in such a close proximity to him for a week felt like a blessing, and to think she had another seven weeks of this made her sigh. She had fallen for him before even talking to him; now, spending an hour with him alone every night was making her fall for him harder every day. She barely stopped herself from twirling on the spot and giggling. 'Manners, Daphne' she reminded herself, slightly giddy. She stopped in front of the wall, composing herself, and muttered the password. The wall immediately caved a passage for her and she entered the common room. Sitting in one of the leather sofas was none other than Theodore Nott, his back towards the entrance of the common room. Daphne stopped; she expected him to be there, her whole plan depended on him being there. Theo and Daphne had practically spent all of their childhood together. Their parents had tried on numerous occasions to set them up but all in vain, because Daphne couldn't even pretend to have the slightest interest in him, having had her heart pinned on someone else for as long as she could remember. Although they spent a lot of time together, they were just civil to each other, feeling no bond of friendship but an understanding of each other's past. That's how she knew he'd be here, she knew him too well.

"Couldn't sleep?" She said softly, her voice echoing in the empty common room.

Theo's head turned partly towards her, as she walked towards him.

"Running late?" he asked, looking at her expressionlessly.

Daphne sat down opposite him, legs crossed, eyes trained on him.

"I had to take a little detour." She replied impassively.

"Very specific." Nott noted.

"That is all you need to know." She said.

She studied him for a moment; he looked pale, as if he had seen a ghost, his hair looked unkempt, which wasn't a very common occurrence, but above all, his eyes looked void, like an empty shell. Daphne felt pity rise for him.

"I don't care for company right now." Nott drawled.

"I don't care to be your company." She replied, casually looking at her perfectly filed nails. "But I couldn't help but notice, Nott: you look terrible."

"Careful there Daph, you might hurt my feelings." He sneered.

Daphne rolled her eyes.

"Want to share your woes?" she asked, smirking.

"I suggest you mind your own business, Greengrass." He hissed.

"Could it be about the letter you received this morning?" she asked casually, feeling her heart skip a beat. She knew this was going to work, but it was still risky.

Nott's head snapped up and his eyes widened as he gaped at her. Daphne smirked. 'He still has it' she thought victorious and surprised at the same time.

"What letter?" he asked carefully, leaning forward.

"Don't bother." She said, flicking her wrist. "I heard you and Malfoy argue next to the girls bathroom."

Nott groaned and sat back, closing his eyes.

"Did anyone else hear?" he asked.

"It was just me." She replied and leaned forward. "Count yourself lucky it was a Slytherin who heard you." She hissed. "If it were somebody else, they'd go running to Dumbledore."

Nott scowled.

"So you believe it? That the Dark Lord..." he strayed off.

"If I didn't before, I do now." She said coolly. "Be careful, Nott. Nobody will hear it from me, but there is a very good chance he will hear it from someone else."

Nott's scowl deepened. Daphne gracefully got up and discreetly pulled out her wand; Nott was too busy wallowing in self loathing. She slowly walked around the table between them stood behind Nott's sofa; he still didn't look at her. She slowly pointed her wand at the fire burning between the two sofas, careful not to be noticed. "Furta Ignis" she mouthed and saw the fire crackle slightly. She tucked in her wand, satisfied, while bending down near his ear.

"Destroy it if you haven't already." She whispered, as if really concerned. "Don't try to be smart and keep it. Hidden things have a way to be found, Nott, sooner or later; and you will have to suffer the consequences."

Nott gulped but didn't say anything. He didn't have to; Daphne saw him side-eye his bag and then the fireplace. Daphne smirked; everything was in place, all she had to do was walk away.

"Good night, Theodore." She said, straightening up and strutted away towards the girl's dormitory, feeling Nott's eyes on her until she disappeared. She marched up to her room and opened the door to find the other three girls sleeping soundly. She pulled the drapes of her bed and changed, he heart fluttering. She lit her wand and pulled out her book, deciding to wait for at least two hours before going back in the common room, waiting for Nott to leave.

As the hours passed, Daphne eyes began drooping. She desperately tried to keep them open. She turned page after page of her book, occasionally looking up to check the time and sighed sometimes. Finally, when she was almost half done with the book, she looked at her bedside clock and sighed in relief. It was two thirty in the morning, Daphne put on her night robe and tiptoed down the girls dormitory and stopped near the entrance, hidden in the shadows. She pulled out her wand and muttered 'homenum revelio'. She sighed in relief; there was no one else in the common room. She quickly walked over to the fire and bent down. Taking a deep breath, she thrust her hand inside the fire and to her relief, the spell had worked. Her hand was perfectly fine; thanks to the spell she had cast on the fire. 'Furta Ignis', literally meaning 'trick fire', did the job. Daphne got on her knees and groped inside the fire and found it, a crumpled piece of paper, slightly burnt around the edges, but otherwise completely fine. She smiled victoriously. Nott probably stood there and watched the letter burn, as the spell created the illusion for him, and went to bed feeling lighter. She stood up and pulled out her wand and pointed it at the fire.

"Finite." She muttered and watched the fire crackle again. She picked up a stray paper from the table and held it above the fire and watched it burn in satisfaction. She dropped the paper in the fire and tucked the crumpled letter in her robe. She promised herself she would never tell the others how she got the letter. She wasn't proud of this manipulative side of herself and she'd rather Rose and Harry didn't know about. To them, she simply got a hand on Nott's bag by pure luck, searched it and found the letter in a hidden pocket. She duplicated it and put the original one back in his bag. The end.

"Only did it a hundred times before." She muttered sadly and went back to her dormitory, not risking opening the letter in the common room.

She quickly pulled out the letter from her robe and carefully straightened it under the light of her wand. Her heart beating faster against her chest, she started reading the letter line by line, her eyes narrowing in concentration.

Rose paced the length of the empty common room, holding the enchanted parchment that she and Daphne used to communicate. She had been checking it every minute since they got back to the common room. Harry had offered to stay up with her but she knew he was tired and had the quidditch trials tomorrow so she told him he should go to bed. It was quarter to three and there was no word from Daphne and Rose was starting to get worried. Just when she was about to give up and go to bed, she saw writing appear on the parchment. She almost jumped in relief as the words started to appear.

'I have it.' It simply wrote and Rose smiled. She got the letter! Of course she did; Daphne Greengrass hardly ever failed in anything. If she was writing through the parchment, she was obviously fine. Rose grinned and raced up to her room. She closed the door lightly and pulled back Hermione's drapes.

"Hermione!" she hissed, shaking her lightly.

"Hmmm." Hermione muttered sleepily.

"Wake up!" Rose whispered. "I've got good news!"

"What?" Hermione asked groggily, sitting up.

"Daphne has it!" she said. "Daphne has the letter!"

Hermione's eyes shot open.

"What!?" She exclaimed softly.

"She just wrote to me." Rose said, grinning. "She has it."

"How did she do it?" Hermione asked, practically giddy.

"I don't know! Guess we'll have to ask her today." Rose replied.

"Did she mention what's in it?" Hermione asked again.

"No, nothing. She just wrote she has it. God, I was so worried she'll get caught! It is such a relief." She said, sighing.

"It is." Hermione said. "Now, go to bed. We'll figure it all out tomorrow."

Rose nodded and went to her bed, pulling the drapes back. She climbed in it and looked at Hermione.

"Did you notice something weird today? With Harry and Daphne?" Rose asked her.

"Good weird or bad weird?" Hermione asked her.

Rose thought about it.

"Good weird." She replied.

Hermione smiled.

"I did." She said, and closed her drapes. "Good night, Rose."

"Night, Hermione." Rose said, closing her drapes lying on her bed, thinking of all the things that happened that day and with those closing thoughts, she drifted off to sleep.

"Where is she?" Harry said, pacing the classroom floor.

"She eats her food like a human should, Harry." Rose said. "Give her some time."

"It's eight thirty already." Ron muttered, slouching in his chair. "We need to leave by nine anyhow."

"Eight fifty." Hermione said slowly, and grimaced when the other three threw her a look.

They were all in the classroom Harry and Daphne were assigned for Potions, waiting for the latter and the letter. Harry had been impatient throughout the day, barely stopping himself from rushing to Daphne and asking her for the letter.

The classroom door opened and Daphne stepped inside, stopping in her tracks; the four of them were looking at her like a predator looks at its prey.

"Looks like you all skipped dinner." she drawled, walking towards them.

"I knew you could do it!" Rose squealed.

"Really now?" Hermione muttered.

"How did you get it?" Rose asked, ignoring Hermione.

"We don't have time for that." Daphne said and pulled out the letter. "This is going to take long enough."

They all stared at the letter for solid five seconds before Harry stepped forward and took the letter from her hand.

"Alright, I'll read it." Harry said, unfolding the letter.

He started.

" 'Dear Theodore, I hope you are doing well. I met Mr. Trod Love last Sunday; he was most pleased to read your report and would like to hire you after your graduation from Hogwarts School. He plans to surprise your father with the news after you've joined. I am sure your father wouldn't oppose to you working for such an influential firm. Mr. Love also reviewed Draco Malfoy's application and decided to open two vacancies so he could hire both you young men. On another happy note, do you remember Mr. Love's dog; finally letting go of my fear of animals, I pet it! – P. R. Egret'"

"What?" Ron said.

"Who the hell is Trod Love?" Rose asked.

"Oh my god." Hermione muttered, snatching the letter from Harry's hand.

"What?" Harry asked immediately.

Hermione didn't say anything. She read the letter at least thrice before she looked up, eyes filled with dread. She looked at Daphne, who nodded remorsefully.

"Are you sure?" Hermione said softly.

"It didn't even take you a minute to figure it out while I was at it for at least half an hour." Daphne replied, smiling weakly.

"Will you two cut it out?" Rose hissed, frustrated.

Hermione took in a deep breath.

"Mr. Trod Love is an anagram for 'Voldemort'." Hermione said. "I think you can figure the rest out."

She gave the letter to Rose, who didn't even need to look at it to confirm her suspicions. Her stomach dropped and heart started beating faster. Now Rose understood Malfoy and Nott's outbursts.

"They are going to get the dark mark as soon as they leave Hogwarts." Rose said, her tongue feeling heavy.

"That's what Nott meant when he said they had two years of freedom." Daphne said sombrely.

The room was filled with a stifling silence. Harry and Rose shared a look. Neither of them liked Malfoy or Nott, but they would never wish this on their worst enemy. Malfoy and Nott didn't deserve to be enslaved by a murdering lunatic. They might be idiots and rude assholes but they weren't torturers or murderers, they just weren't. Rose made up her mind; she would not let it happen, she would not let Voldemort strip them of their futures and dare she say, their innocence, whatever it took. She saw the gleam of determination in her brother's eyes and knew in an instant that they'd do everything it takes get Malfoy and Nott out of this mess.

"Since we are not going to let that happen, let's move on to the identity of Nott's man." Harry said firmly. Rose saw Daphne look at him in surprise.

"You would do that?" Daphne asked Harry. "For them?"

"They clearly don't want any part of it; that tells a lot about them." Harry said.

Daphne nodded, still looking at him as he re-read the letter.

"Voldemort has a dog?" Ron said, reading over Harry's shoulder. "I thought he had a big ass snake."

"So what—the person who wrote the letter...pet it?" Hermione wondered.

"P. R. Egret." Rose read. "Do you know anyone called Egret?" she asked Daphne.

"No." Daphne replied. "I've never heard of anyone called Egret."

"Well whoever he is, why could he be writing Nott?" Ron said.

"Could be that he and Nott are close?" Harry suggested.

"It's never that simple when it comes to Slytherins." Ron said. "No offence." He added, looking at Daphne.

"No, you are right." Daphne agreed. "Knowing Theodore, he's probably holding something over the man."

"Something big enough to make him take such a risk?" Hermione questioned.

"Yes." Daphne replied confidently.

"This guy is clever." Harry said, his eyes roaming over the letter. "Someone who doesn't know what to look for will have no clue that this letter has a meaning beyond what is written in it."

"We have to tell Dumbledore." Rose said.

"Not now Rose—" Harry started but Rose stopped him.

"No, Harry!" she said. "There are lives at stake. We cannot risk it!"

"Do you think he'll even believe us?" Harry snapped. "Has he shown any interest in our lives since we got back?"

"We have the letter, we will tell him what we heard!" Rose answered back.

"And then what?" Harry asked. "He'll tell us to let him handle it and to not look into it any further?"

"Harry, enough!" Rose snapped. "We are not risking it. Nott and Malfoy need someone powerful backing them up."

"You can back them up." Hermione muttered. They all looked at her. "What?" she said. "Rose is one of the most powerful witches in the history of magic."

"No I am not!" Rose said, looking at Hermione as if she were crazy.

"If only you'd read the books that I give you, you'd know!" Hermione snapped at her. Rose stared at her, eyes wide. "Your magic goes way above average and you know it. Some might say you are even more powerful than Dumbledore."

Rose scoffed.

"You know it Rose." Hermione said. "and it scares you. You are scared you can't control it, you're scared that if it goes out of control, you might hurt someone."

"That is not true." Rose hissed. The chair in the corner of the room lifted up in the air.

"Hermione—" Harry warned.

"You think your magic is a sword you know how to use but don't know how to put down. You think," she said loudly as the chair began vibrating against the wall, "that one day you won't control the magic, the magic will control you! You are scared that one day, you might become like Voldemort!"

"It's NOT TRUE!" Rose snapped, the chair violently starting to snap.

"Granger what are you doing!" Daphne hissed.

"But what you don't know," Hermione said calmly, taking Rose's hand in her own, "is that you are your magic, and honey, you are beautiful, exceptional, so full of warmth and love." She said, smiling at Rose. "You've been scared of your magic for as long as I've known you. You have to understand Rose, the moment you stop being afraid of the power within you, is the moment you gain control over it." The chair stopped snapping and vibrating. "You can never be like him, because there are people who love you more than they love themselves; because you love people more than you love yourself. You can never be like him because you care. You directed your anger towards something inanimate rather than me, the cause of your anger, but still a living being. That is control, although not at its best, but still there. You know the difference between good and evil, and that's your greatest strength. You have to stop being afraid of it and embrace it. That's when you'll know your real potential."

The chair landed on the floor without so much as a scrap. Rose breathed out and closed her eyes; slowly, delicate white flowers started to emerge from the wooden chair wrapping themselves around it like a vine. Rose opened her eyes; memories of Sunday mornings in Privet Drive flashed before her eyes: A young Rose waking up her mother and father with a bunch of flowers in her hands, Rose giggling as she watched her father's unsuccessful attempts at gardening and discreetly using her magic to help him so he wouldn't feel bad, making Harry a small flower tiara when he was five.

Daphne laughed breathily. Harry and Ron looked like they were on the verge of a heart attack.

"You used to do that when we were kids." Harry said, looking at the chair covered with

"I did." Rose said and looked at Hermione, smiling. "All of that to stop me from going to Dumbledore?"

"Are you kidding? I've been preparing that speech for a year. Couldn't have found a better moment." Hermione replied, winking.

Rose hugged Hermione, latching onto her like she was her lifeline.

"I love you." She muttered in Hermione's hair.

"I love you, too." Hermione replied, holding onto her tightly.

"Alright, so we are not going to Dumbledore?" Ron asked, smirking.

"Not yet." Rose replied. "But if it gets bad, none of you are stopping me, okay? We need more than a rookie to help those two."

They are muttered their agreement.

"I would have bitch slapped you if I didn't love you so much."Rose said and hugged her brother. Harry wrapped his arms around her and rubbed her back.

"There's a long way to go, isn't there?" she asked, her voice muffled by his shoulder.

"Good thing you have company." He replied and kissed the side of her head.

A/N: I am back again! And just within the week! Wow shit, right lol. Since I have nothing to do except study, annoy my boyfriend with constant video calls and writing fanfiction, this was done so fast. My heart filled up with joy after reading all your reviews and watching the follows and favourites rocket! Thank you all so much, I am so glad you guys are loving Daphne/Harry just as much as Rose/Draco! Also *BlueMapple* I am so glad you noticed, the bets are placed exactly the way I want them to work out *winks* continue reading to know more lol. So much love to you guys! Please stay home and stay safe! It'll all get better soon.