Harry Potter and the Gift of Memories [Harry Potter Fan Fiction]

Chapter XXXXIII: Detention, Into the Forbidden Forest

Perhaps the most unusual reaction from the group was the last member of the Slytherin Trio. Tracey Davis ate her meal slowly, her eyes slightly glazed as she went through the motions of chewing her food. It was abnormal to see her so quiet and not saying something that would inadvertently insult someone.

Harry closed his eyes and sighed, wondering if perhaps he had screwed up his friendship with these people. The thought made him nauseous.

“Oh, for Merlin's sake,” Daphne muttered next to him. Harry opened his eyes and looked at her, but she was not looking at him. Her eyes, normally icy cold or luke-warm, now burned with a determined fire as she stared at her best friend. “Tracey, what the hell is wrong with you?”

Tracey blinked several times as the rest of their friends turned to stare at the normally stoic and sarcastic blond in shock.

“E-excuse me?”

“You heard me.” Daphne rolled her eyes. “You look like someone broke your broom. I know that not even you are normally this dead in the morning, so why don't you wake up, you bloody broom fanatic.”

“Broom fanatic,” Tracey's right eye gained a slight twitch. “Now listen here, just because I happen to like knowing what good brooms are out there, doesn't mean I'm obsessed.”

“You are as obsessed with brooms as Wood is with Quidditch,” Daphne told her. Tracey gaped.

“You take that back!”

“No, I don't think I will.”

Tracey's face scrunched up, her nose wrinkling. She reminded Harry of an angry cat.

“You... you...”

Harry snorted into his cup, making the brunette switch her ire from Daphne to her.

“Don't you start laughing at me, too! You are the last person who has the right to make fun of me!”

Harry held up his hands in a gesture of defense.

“I never said anything.”

“No, but I'm sure you were thinking it.”

Daphne's sarcastic taunting and Tracey's outraged words knocked the others out of their stupor. It started slowly at first, but soon everyone was talking again, and though a little subdued, laughter soon permeated the group.

Harry looked over at Daphne, who caught his eyes with her own. He smiled at her, speaking to her through his eyes.

Thank you.

Daphne's lips twitched into a small half-smile. Her normally icy blues were currently warm and inviting. She really did have beautiful eyes, and Harry could read the message within them as clearly as she could read his.

You're welcome.

XoX

Thursday brought with it an interesting event. School had not really changed much since Harry taught Malfoy his 'lesson.' Harry was still popular among his peers. In fact, in some ways, he was more popular now than he had been before. It seemed a number of Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws had also been bullied by him and his two Gorilla-like henchmen.

Harry was surprised he had never heard of this until now. He was sure that with how the Hogwarts rumor-mill worked, he would have heard about it a while ago.

Then again, he would also admit that he had not been spending much time paying attention to rumors. Most of Harry's focus was on his studies and his friends.

In either event, the 'prank' Harry had pulled on Malfoy earned him more favor with a majority of students. Even a few Slytherins seemed to appreciate him putting the pureblood boy down a few pegs. He must not have been well-liked in his own House, just as Tracey said, and the only reason people followed him was because of their fear of his father.