An Unexpected Ally

Three's A Crowd

There was never an 'of course' to Daphne. Nothing in her life was free besides the air she breathed and it began to wear her down that everybody around her always seemed to want or need something in return, almost like a bargain. The only exception to this rule was her sweet younger sister Astoria, who most would suspect didn't have a manipulative bone in her body. Daphne knew better than most that her sister had a hidden streak of mischief.

To Daphne, Harry was a breath of fresher air than any charm could provide. He agreed to help her without even knowing for sure what that would entail for him. Of course, allying with Harry Potter was risky for a Slytherin, but all other options had been exhausted and she was more worried about her sister than herself. She would rather Malfoy be with herself than with Astoria, that girl was far too innocent to end up with someone like Malfoy.

There was, of course, the possibility of Daphne taking advantage of how eager Harry seemed to help her by using him to solve all of her problems, and she did consider this momentarily, but there was something about the innocent expression he carried that made it impossible for Daphne to use him in such a way.

"That is all. It would be best for us not to communicate unless within special circumstances such as how we are speaking currently." Daphne said diplomatically. Harry was surprised at how fast she had slipped into that mask, but managed to keep it from showing on his face. Much.

"What about your sister?" Harry asked curiously and the mask cracked slightly, allowing a small smile to show on her face.

"I suspect after she learns of this meeting she will seek you out herself. I must forewarn you that she is significantly more... excitable than I." Daphne spoke slowly, as if choosing her words carefully. "She is also incredibly partial to cookies."

"I-" Harry took a moment to process this information. "Who doesn't like cookies?" He asked finally, much to Daphne's amusement.

"I think you two will get along quite well." She found her mask slipping more often the more time she spent with Harry. "Speaking of, I did not expect this to take such little time, I have a few minutes before I am expected in my Common Room."

"Have you gotten the Herbology homework yet? The Bouncing Blibbermouths?" Harry inquired.

"Bouncing Bulbs." Daphne corrected. "And yes, we received it yesterday but I delayed it in order to meet with you."

"I was supposed to be working on mine today, but my friend offered to do it for me while we did whatever this is." Harry gestured to them both. "Do you wanna complete it together? Just because Professor Sprout has been less than fond of me since my name came out of the cup."

"Preposterous." Daphne scoffed, her blonde tresses bouncing slightly with the movement of her head. "You looked far too frightened and it doesn't match your character."

"My character?" Harry repeated, wondering how she had gathered an assessment of his character accurate enough to decree that he hadn't entered the competition of his own accord.

"Yes." Daphne chose not to elaborate and reveal that she had been considering him quite carefully in case he was driven away by that fact. "I believe you promised me a study session." She reminded him and he quickly lost his train of thought, leading her across the library to where Hermione was absently filling out Harry's homework. She looked up to greet them and nearly jumped out of her seat at the sight of Daphne.

"Hello, Granger." Daphne said, her face betraying no emotion.

"Greengrass?" Hermione dropped her quill as the pieces began to connect together in her mind. "Wait.. D?!" She realised as Daphne's facial expression stayed constant.