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HP - Chapter 442: Peaceful Days
🕑 Added 2025-01-13 10:00:49 +0000 UTCDisclaimer:
Harry Potter and all its characters belong to J.K. Rowling.
I own nothing but the original characters I create.
“Dialogue”
‘Thoughts’
-Author notes-
Chapter 442: Peaceful Days
Daphne walked across the Great Hall under the tentative gaze of everyone present and arrived at the Gryffindor table.
“Do you mind?” she asked Hermione.
“N-not at all.” The bushy-haired girl hurried to make room for Daphne to sit down next to Harry.
“So… everyone knows already?” Daphne asked.
“I’m not sure about everyone…” Harry glanced around the hall. All the students and even the professors were staring at them with interest. “Okay… everyone.”
“You told Lyra, didn’t you?” Daphne asked.
“Hey! I heard that,” Lyra complained.
“This was mostly Lavender’s doing, though,” Hermione said.
“Yes, I’ve never seen her run so much,” Parvati added.
“I am exhausted!” Lavender admitted, gasping for air.
“Fantastic,” Daphne rolled her eyes.
“You’re not really upset,” Harry noted.
“Only a little bit,” she admitted, leaning closer. “Because now I can be with you in public… no more sneaking around.” She leaned in further and gave him a wet kiss on the lips.
“So, you two have been together for a while, huh?” Hermione asked, trying to distract herself from the awkwardness of being so close to them.
“It’s not even been a year yet, so not that long,” Daphne replied.
“I can’t believe I passed on a rumor that turned out to be true… what a waste,” Lavender said. “I swear this!, from now on, I will spread every rumor I hear!”
“Don’t do that… please,” Hermione begged.
“Yeah, that’s not a good idea, Lav,” Parvati agreed.
“Excuse me…”
They turned to find Professor McGonagall staring at Harry and Daphne.
“While I understand your situation and am very glad for you two, I would appreciate it if you kept your displays of affection away from the public eye,” the professor said.
“Hold on, wasn’t that one of Umbridge’s rules? I thought those were taken down,” Lyra asked.
McGonagall shook her head. “We did not remove all of them. I have to admit, some of her regulations seemed appropriate, and the other professors agreed to keep a few.”
Very few had questioned Professor Umbridge’s disappearance after the battle. She had not left a strong impression on the students, other than being an annoying educator who was there for half a year and then disappeared. This was mostly because Harry had prevented her from inflicting any physical harm on the students with her blood quill with his constant memory wipes.
Her class was now being taught by the Headmaster until they found someone else for the job.
Professor Rookwood had been even less memorable than the ghost who held the position before him.
History was now being taught by three of Hogwarts’ ghosts, those tied to each of the houses. The Ravenclaw ghost was the only one missing, as she had rejected the offer.
“Oh…” Lyra muttered. She and Neville have broken quite a few rules if those have not been removed from the wall.
“Uh…” Neville groaned he was thinking the same thing as his girlfriend, he did not want to get more detentions this year.
Noticing Lyra’s guilty expression, McGonagall added, “I would advise you to take a good look at that wall again. Unless you want to end up in detention, Miss Potter.”
“Yes, ma’am…” Lyra looked away, feeling embarrassed.
McGonagall turned to Harry. “And you two…”
“We will be careful, Professor,” Daphne replied.
“I know you will… and, congratulations.” With that, the professor took her leave.
Harry glanced at the professors’ table, where his mother sat.
Lily had a wide smile on her face and seemed to be enjoying seeing them together.
<><><><><><><><><><><>
The next month passed by extremely quickly.
Harry could finally relax and stop worrying about dark wizards and looming threats.
From what his father had told him, the new administration was very competent in removing Voldemort’s remaining allies and keeping a close eye on sympathizers.
As the new Head of the Auror Department, James was determined to ensure that no new Dark Lords would appear anytime soon.
Harry’s life at school was mostly tranquil, aside from dealing with the attention he received from the other students.
But he was already used to that, and no one had dared to do more than watch from afar and whisper behind his back. He could tolerate that much.
Daphne was happy that she could now walk beside him through the halls and sit by his side in the Great Hall. Normally, a Slytherin girl dating someone from Gryffindor would have raised many complaints from the house of snakes, but Daphne never heard a single thing from her housemates.
Wanting to spend as much time with his family as possible, Harry often visited his house to speak with his father or check on Holly.
His little sister had changed a lot since he first saw her. In just two years, she would be attending Hogwarts as a first-year, and she was excited to learn magic.
Harry had a feeling she would excel at Runes since she was being tutored by Victoria.
He deeply regretted that he wouldn’t be there to watch Holly grow into a magnificent witch.
His hopes for Lyra were somewhat lower, but she had shown some interest in Defense Against the Dark Arts.
If that was the path she chose to follow, the grimoire left behind by him would be very useful to her.
As for Victoria, his alter ego, Harry hadn’t interacted with her much.
He knew she intended to claim the Lordship of the Ancient Black House.
Harry had never cared for titles and couldn’t understand putting so much effort into claiming one, but he felt the title of Lady Black held special significance for Victoria, beyond the wealth it offered.
To her, it was likely a faint connection to her old life and her first family.
