Daphne sat in the Great Hall with baited breath, as the names of first year students were taken and one by one, they got sorted into the Houses. She was excited to see her sister begin her life as a Hogwarts student, not to mention having her sister near her at all times. She never usually expressed her feelings, but she longed to be around Astoria. Deep down, she was afraid that she wouldn’t get to spend much time with her beyond their Hogwarts years, considering Astoria’s… condition. As much as she wanted to ignore the blood curse, Daphne had to face the facts. Astoria could die very early so she had to make the best of the time they did have together.
“Greengrass, Astoria.”
Daphne perked up at the mention of her sister. The little girl looked slightly nervous but walked towards the stool regardless. As she sat down, Professor McGonagall placed the Sorting Hat on her head. It took a touch more time than others to evaluate her. Just as Daphne began feeling worried, the Hat yelled out.
“It better be GRYFFINDOR!”
Daphne felt her heart plunge. Astoria was in a different House than Slytherin. How was that possible? As far as Daphne could remember, all Greengrasses had been Slytherins so it was only right to assume that Astoria would be one as well. Not only was Astoria not in Slytherin, she was in Gryffindor of all houses. The one House that hated Slytherins more than anything, due to some daft rivalry between the original Gryffindor and Slytherin. Daphne firmly stayed away from that rivalry but didn’t openly associate with any Gryffindors herself because of the fear of consequences within her own House. Being labelled a blood-traitor or something similar wouldn’t bode well for her future years in the school. That was why she didn’t want to be seen publicly associating herself with Harry Potter.
Once people found out that Astoria was the younger sister of a Snake, the Lions were bound to make her life miserable. The only saving grace was that Harry was in the same house, so she could count on him to at least help her out, hopefully.
Daphne watched with sorrow as Astoria walked to the Gryffindor table, a small smile adorning her pale face. As she was walking, there was polite applause, but nearly none of the older Gryffindor students clapped. They know I’m her sister…
Astoria walked to one end of the table and sat down, yet nearly nobody came to interact with her. Nearly nobody, as a few minutes later, Harry got up from his seat on the other end of the table and proceeded to seat himself next to her. Daphne’s heart fluttered at that instance. I knew I could count on him!
Daphne relaxed considerably, as she saw Longbottom and the Weasley twins, along with Ginny come and sit next to Astoria as well. She was perplexed, however, to see Granger and the other Weasley not go with Harry. They were nearly always with him, why not now? She made a mental note to ask him later if he was comfortable sharing.
The Headmaster’s speech and the Feast was business as usual, nothing memorable about either of those. As the Great Hall started emptying, Daphne sneaked a piece of chicken for Basil, who hissed in appreciation. She wondered if Parseltongue could be taught? Communicating with Basil would certainly prove to be impressive and useful.
Once she had her dinner, Daphne walked out of the Great Hall, only to be greeted by the Gryffindor club. Harry and Astoria seemed to be chatting about the shepherd’s pie, much to her amusement, while Longbottom, Ginny and the twins were discussing Quidditch. Daphne never had much interest in the sport, she thought it to be unnecessarily dangerous and at times, drawn out beyond reason. However, watching Harry play as Seeker was entertaining, and was the only time she even bothered to attend a match.
“DAPHNE! HELLO!” squealed Astoria, as soon as she caught sight of her elder sister, launching herself towards Daphne.
“Hi, starshine! How’re you?” asked Daphne, hugging her sister closer.
“Oh it’s wonderful! Harry and his friends are so great! I really thought I’d have a tough time blending in here, but they’ve made it so comfortable!” said Astoria, backing out of the hug.
“You’re in good hands, Astoria. However,” Daphne lowered her voice, “Stay away from people you find suspicious. There’s no doubt others might not be fond of you, because you’re my sister.”
“I’ll be fiiiine! Besides, I’ve got Harry to protect me. Here, I’ll call him here. HARRY, DAPHNE SAYS SHE MISSES MMMF-” Astoria’s shouting was cut short by a horrified Daphne grabbing her mouth shut.
“You NEED to stop doing that!” scolded Daphne.
Harry walked over, probably deciding that the sisters had had enough time for a reunion.
“Hi, Daphne.” said Harry, his eyes staring into hers. He had a dreamy smile on his face. What’s up with him? wondered Daphne.
“Hey, Harry.” said Daphne, feeling happy in his presence nonetheless.
“Oh, I need to unpack my trunk! I don’t know where the Gryffindor dormitories are, however. I’ll see you two lovebirds later! Goodnight! GUYS, TAKE ME TO THE TOWER!”
Before Daphne could protest, Astoria sprinted off, leaving her alone with Harry. She peeked into the hallway to find it deserted - the others had left with Astoria, too.
“So, hi, again.” said Harry, looking anywhere but in Daphne’s eyes. Aw, he’s flustered, that's so adorable.
“Hey. Thanks for being there for Astoria. I was afraid she’d be shunned by the Gryffindors, the way none of the older students clapped for her. But you and your friends were such a relief. Thank you.” Daphne flashed him a genuine smile, which seemed to get him even more flustered.
“Oh, w-well, that’s no problem. Astoria feels like my own sister, I want her to be safe and happy, too.” said Harry, without thinking too much.
That one statement flooded Daphne with an overwhelming sense of joy. Having someone within Astoria’s house whom she could rely on for her security, gave Daphne relief and comfort. So much relief, that she slowly walked over to Harry and engulfed him in a hug, something she had never done before. Not properly, anyway.
“W-what? Uh, wow. This feels nice… This feels great…” mumbled Harry, returning her hug. They stood like that for a minute until something brushed against her. It was subtle, but she noticed it alright. She jumped back and scanned her surroundings, but there was nothing.
“What’s wrong?” asked Harry, frowning deeply.
“I felt something touch my leg. Do you think someone’s here? SHOW YOURSELF!” yelled Daphne, drawing her wand.
“Oh, calm down. I should probably tell you this since the others know too. But, I sort of have a pet dog now.”
“Pet dog? Oh, wait. It’s here under your Invisibility Cloak, isn’t it?”
“You can give Hermione a run for her money, with that brain of yours.” chucked Harry, as he seemingly grabbed air and yanked.
Under the now visible Cloak, was a large black dog - an Alsatian. She’d seen many of them walking the streets of Leeds, where she grew up. It sat down and dipped its head, then brought it back up. Daphne was gobsmacked to see such a well mannered dog. That quick bow seemed almost… human. Strange.
“So, you have a dog now. Why? As far as I know, dogs aren’t on the list of allowed pets at Hogwarts.”
“Well, he’s cute.”
“...No he’s not. He’s a huge black dog! He’s menacing at best.”
“Agree to disagree. I think he’s cute.”
“Okay. And does your cute-and-definitely-not-a-hellhound dog have a name?”
“Daphne, meet Fuhrer, my new companion.” said Harry, as he ruffled the dog’s head.
“Fuhrer? Your dog is a tyrannical dictator?” she laughed softly.
“Well, I thought it’d be funny. I’ve been told that it’s slightly insulting and offensive to a lot of people, but he only responds to Fuhrer now so it’s too late to back out.” shrugged Harry. The dog, however, slightly shook his head.
“Your dog doesn’t seem to agree.” said Daphne, mildly suspicious of the dog’s intelligence.
“What? Fuhrer?” Harry quickly turned to the Alsatian, who was seemingly content with scratching its ear. Spectacular timing.
“Well, I do have to get him out of the castle before curfew, I’m not allowed to have him here. I trust you to keep my secret. Goodnight, Daphne!” said Harry, as he slipped under the Cloak with his dog, disappearing from sight. She heard soft footsteps that grew fainter and fainter. He needs to learn how to walk quietly if he’s ever going to sneak around without getting caught.
Daphne allowed herself a minuscule smile, happy knowing that Harry trusted her. Basil coiled up in her hair, nudging her ear.
“Sleepy, are you? Come on, let’s get you to bed.”
~
Harry hurried along the grass, wet with dew. The blades of grass yielded to the urgency of his footsteps. He had taken off the Cloak as soon as he was away from the castle and let Fuhrer run free, to facilitate speed. The Alsatian dashed forward with great speed, having to slow down multiple times for Harry to catch up. Eventually, Fuhrer opted to maintain pace with his owner. When the both of them reached the edge of the Forbidden Forest, they slowed their pace to a walk and Harry lit his wand.
Upon finding a suitable clearing for a dog shelter, Harry reached into his rucksack and pulled out a miniaturised dog kennel. He placed the object in the middle of the clearing and cast an Engorgio on it.
The building started to expand immediately, reaching its full size in a matter of seconds. The kennel was charmed to stay warm and never run out of water. Harry left some food in the tray for Fuhrer, promising he’d bring more every day.
“Stay here, don’t leave, okay? I’ll check in on you whenever I can. Goodnight!” said Harry, patting the dog’s head one last time before turning away.
~
He donned his Invisibility Cloak once again, as he neared the doors of the castle. He tiptoed his ways through the hallways, before bolting inside the Gryffindor Common Room. Most of his Housemates were asleep by the time he got there, with the exception of Ron.
“Where were you, mate?” he asked, worried.
“I’ll show you tomorrow. Is that Scabbers?” asked Harry in astonishment. The duo had lost sight of Scabbers in the crowd at Diagon Alley, and had to begrudgingly give up. But there he was, sleeping soundly on the dresser next to Ron’s bed.
“Yeah. Fred and George found him. Kept him from me the past few days, they reckoned it’d be funny. It wasn’t funny, trust me. I was losing my mind thinking of excuses to give to mum!” ranted Ron. He was clearly still upset about the prank.
“Wow, that’s incredibly rude,” said Harry, attempting to console Ron, “and incredibly funny too,” he added under his breath.
“I caught that.” said Ron, crossing his arms.
“Sorry.” Harry said sheepishly.
They both wished each other a good night and went to bed. Harry lay awake for a few minutes more, thinking about his day. Another year at Hogwarts, another year away from the Dursleys. I wish I had managed to get that note signed from Uncle Vernon before blowing up Aunt Marge though…
- a/n -
Just a note to everyone,
On ffn, we recently received some comments which expressed their dislike towards the name 'Fuhrer' due to obvious reasons. They believe that the use of this name is extremely inappropriate and was distasteful on our part.
Addressing that, we would like to say that neither Val nor Cel have the intention of using this name with a negative connotation. This name was used in a humourous manner and we have in fact received positive comments about this name from a German themself.
Having said that, I would like to say that this story is a way of expressing ourselves and something we write for ourselves. If something we write/do bothers anyone so much, please feel free to back out at any moment.
Our intention on posting this story was to spread our creation to those who appreciate our story and to those who would provide CONSTRUCTIVE criticism to help improve our writing.
Thanks and with much love,
Cel